


Run Away With Me

by rudehao



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, changlix, minho and woojin are mentioned, rated teen for mild cursing, stray kids - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-03-26 18:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13863660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudehao/pseuds/rudehao
Summary: modern royalty au:Changbin has been a model prince his whole life. Never talked back, never disobeyed. He also doesn't want to be king, and meeting that boy just justifies it more.





	1. Not Interested

**Author's Note:**

> members may be OOC. i tried my best, im sorry if it's annoying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> changbin meets someone interesting

Changbin would rather be anywhere but here. His back hurt from standing up so straight, and the scent of wine sickened him. He was tired of greeting people he didn't know, shaking hands with perverted women and men who thought his behaviour could be better than it already was. Garbage, of course. No one was a more model prince than himself. His parents believed he wanted to be a leader when the time eventually comes, so he's been playing his role extremely well for someone who would rather live on the streets than in this environment of snobs and drunks. Living on his own, with his own rules. A life of his own, with no one telling him how to live.

Suddenly, he felt something strong squeeze his arm. He jerked his head up, looking for the source. It was his mother, the queen, who was pressing her fingernail through his suit and into his arm. It hurt, but it was nothing he wasn't used to. She was giving him a stern look, then slightly pointed her head towards the person before them. It was a man he'd never met before, unsurprisingly. The man's face had obviously taken many surgeries to make him more attractive, but in Changbin's opinion, it hadn't worked. The man repeated the question Changbin must've missed.

"How old are you, Your Majesty?" He asks. Changbin feels the coldness of the man's eyes looking at him up and down. He shifted on his feet, trying his best to not show his discomfort.

"17, sir." He replied. The man grinned in response, then leaned in to mutter something to Changbin's father. The king smirked in return, then motioned for his son.

"Go with this gentlemen," He orders, "You'll be dismissed soon after you return." Changbin almost jumps at the chance to leave. He quickly follows the strange man, not caring about why he was told to go with him. He's talked to enough adults today, one more couldn't hurt, especially if he was the last one he'd have to deal with until his parent's next party. The man lead him into the empty corridor outside the ballroom. 

"Walk with me, Your Highness," Changbin cringed at how the man addressed him so formally. It made him feel as though thy weren't both just humans, that Changbin was someone important. He didn't feel important.

"Is there something you wish to discuss?" Changbin asked politely, trying to get out of the situation fast so he could retreat from the party.

"Yes, there is. Your father tells me you're close to taking the throne," Changbin nods, recalling to the conversation he had with his father months ago on his most recent birthday about how he was soon to become the leader of the country. It took all of Changbin's control to not confess his disgust with ruling. "You will need a companion in leading, do you not?" The man continued. The young prince saw the direction this was taking and raised a hand to stop him from continuing.

"Let me stop you there. I'm sure I can guess what you'll say. You have a daughter that would be a perfect queen for me?" Changbin suggests.

"Precisely. But let me tell you, she is not like every other girl you've met."

"By all means, sir, I've heard it all. She's beautiful, she's sweet, she's talented, she's strong. I can assure you that I believe you, but I'm not interested." The man stopped walking, and Changbin paused as well. 

"You haven't met her,"

"I don't need to. Thank you, but no thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me," Changbin started to make his way back to the ballroom so he could be dismissed.

"I'll pay you!" The man called, "I'll pay you graciously!" Changbin paused in his step but did not turn to face him.

"I already have more money than I need." He continued and left the man in the hall. Walking back into the atmosphere was difficult. It seemed as though in the time Changbin was gone, more and more people had arrived. That didn't reassure him that he would be able to leave any time soon. Servants had come out to replenish drinks and food. Changbin was turning left to right, trying to find his parents once again when he bumped into one of the servants passing by with a tray. 

"Oh-Oh! Your highness, I'm so sorry..." The servant said after gracefully catching the empty tray. He stepped back and bowed to the prince. Changbin had never seen him before, and he looked much younger than the others. He had wide cheeks and soft eyes, and can't have been older than Changbin himself.

"Who are you?" Changbin asked, feeling embarrassed that he had to look up at the servant.

"P-Pardon me?" He fumbled with his words, his deep voice faltering in between syllables. Was he nervous?

"I asked who you were. I've never seen you around here before. You look awful young to be in such a profession." The boy nods and takes a moment to respond, as if he's planning his sentence in his head.

"My name is Felix," He paused to bow slightly again, "I was just added to the working staff. My mother works for this household as well." Felix. An odd name for such a strange character. Changbin greets him with a small smile. This takes the boy aback, as if he'd never thought someone like him could have emotions.

"My name is Changbin. A pleasure it is to meet you, Felix. Have you seen the king and queen?" Changbin leaned in closer so only Felix could hear, "I was trapped by some old fart and now I need to get out of this place." Felix grins and points to a corner, where the prince then sees the king and queen. "Thanks," He took a few steps forward but stopped when something came to his mind. When their shoulders were side by side, Changbin decided he wanted to try out something new.

"Of course, sir," Felix said, about to walk off in his own direction when the prince placed a hand on his shoulder. Felix froze, unsure of what the prince was going to say. What was spoken was much further away from what he expected.

"Would you meet me in the courtyard at midnight? By the fountain?" Changbin asks, looking at the servant who refused to make eye contact with him. 

"May I ask what for, your Majesty?" Felix stammers with his words, trying to sound confident.

"I'd like a friend." Changbin mutters before striding towards the corner he was directed to. Felix still stood frozen, not sure if he heard the prince correctly.

The royal couple's companions disbanded as Changbin approached. His father gave him the familiar cold stare as he stopped before them.

"Am I dismissed?" Changbin asks, regretting it as soon as the words fly out of his mouth. His parents share a look then turn back to their son.

"What did we say about asking that question? You are not to leave unless told to, and will not ask prior." The queen said, her tone angry but not raised too loud that the guests could hear. 

"Yes, ma'am." Changbin replied. He should really shut up. 

"I assume you made the right decision with his offer?" His father asked. Changbin nodded, wanting to leave and deal with the punishment of rejecting the bride for a later date. "About time. Go." Changbin turned on his heel and quickly left the ballroom. His footsteps could be heard throughout the empty corridors, continuously tapping against the hardwood floor. Stopping at the door of his room, he turned and looked down the rest of the hall. At the end was the large door to his parents' chambers. He wondered if when he gained rule, he would get their room. He shook his head. Who cares, he doesn't want it.

He sat down at the foot of his bed. He can't put his finger on why the servant boy from earlier wouldn't leave his thoughts. He wasn't anything special. Why had Changbin asked to meet him? Why is he nervous he won't be there? Who would be dumb enough to reject a request from the prince?

-

"Hyunjin, what the hell do I do?" Felix ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth before his best friend. "I can't not show up! He's the prince! The prince! Why would the prince want to meet with me?"

"You literally just said he wanted to be friends," Hyunjin says, "Go and make a friend so I don't have to deal with your bullshit all the time." Felix stops and flips off his friend.

"Come on, please help me." Felix pleads his extremely unhelpful friend. If their superior walks into the kitchen and sees them idling, they'll be booted for sure. And Felix needs this job. Just having his mom work here isn't enough anymore. They need all the money they can get.

"If you're so scared of the prince, how did you end up talking with him?" Hyunjin asks.

"I told you that! I swear to god, Hyunjin, you never listen to me!"

"You didn't tell me that. You dragged me in here blabbering about how the ruggedly handsome prince asked you to hang out."

"I never said ruggedly handsome," Felix says in defense, trying to hide his darkening cheeks. "I'm just nervous about if he really wants to be friends, or if he needs a something and wants to use me, or if he needs a favour I can't provide, or-"

"Oh my god, Felix, shut up. You just said he was nicer than you thought. After all that shit that fell out of your mouth 5 minutes ago, the prince seems to be a nice guy surrounded by a dark atmosphere that just wants a friend. And if you ask me, I think he needs one. After all the hell the king and queen seem to put on him..."

"What? How do you know how they treat him?" Felix asked, leaving his original worries behind and focusing on what Hyunjin has to say.

"I was standing near the royal couple when he walked up to them and asked to leave. I've never seen two people look at their child with such disgust before. And he didn't even look phased by it! It's like they don't even treat him like a son..." Felix looked off into space and thought. Maybe he is just a kid who wants a friend...

"Hyunjin-"

"We should go back out to the party. If we're caught slacking we'll be booted for sure." Hyunjin grabbed a tray of food and left the kitchen swiftly. Felix groaned at his friend's constant need to move about, then grabbed wine bottle, uncorked it and left the kitchen as well.


	2. You Don't Get It, Do You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> changbin makes a new friend and has a lot of firsts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im enjoying my time writing this, im just unsure of how long it'll be. i don't want to get tired of it because that would be a really big shame so dont count on more than 10 chapters :D

Changbin ditched the suit he was wearing from the party and decided to wear a hoodie and jeans, which doesn't sound very princely, but that's what he's going for. He doesn't want to appear to Felix as the intimidating prince, but as a new friend...

Is that what he wanted? Yes, that's what he wants. A new friend. It's like he doesn't have any, he does. One. Jisung. The son of a wealthy family from the capital city. They don't get to see each other often, except for rich people parties or if their parents are meeting with each other and they're brought along. It's tolerable if Jisung is with him. He had hoped he'd be there tonight, but he wasn't. Changbin had asked Jisung's parents why he wasn't present and they mentioned him having prior plans. Of course, Jisung had many more friends and they would take priority of the sad prince he hangs out with sometimes...

As he made his way through the corridors in the dead of the night, he wondered whether the boy would be waiting or if he would be the one to wait. He was half hoping for the latter. He's never had to wait for anything in his life. With the snap of his fingers, he could have anything. Changbin just wants to feel normal. He wants to go through the troubles normal people do, and have to have such things like patience.

The air outside was colder than it had been in the previous weeks, meaning that fall was nearing. Changbin was glad he was wearing a hoodie. The chill nipped at his cheeks.

He saw that the boy wasn't there yet when he approached the fountain in the center of the courtyard. He was glad, because now he could plan out what he was going to talk to him about. What will he say when he shows up? "Hey, how was serving my family and their pretentious companions?" 

Sitting down on the edge of the fountain, he folded his hands and sat straight up. Should he appear polite? He doesn't want the boy to believe he thinks lower of him because of his status. Maybe he shouldn't be thinking to much into this. It's just two people meeting with each other. But what does Felix think about this? Does he think it's a meeting for friendship or just a prince calling for his inferior? He was pulled from his thoughts when the now recognizable voice spoke.

"Oh! You're Majesty, I didn't mean to keep you waiting..." Changbin lifts his head quickly. There standing awkwardly before him was the server from before. He wants to stand to greet him but remembers how much taller the other was and chooses to stay seated.

"Felix... I wasn't sure if you would show up," Changbin admits. Felix replies with a slight bow.

"I wouldn't disobey an order from my prince." He says, lifting himself back up and staying silent. Changbin nods at his response.

"Sit with me, please." Changbin gestures to the empty space beside him. Felix looks hesitant, and doesn't even move his feet at first.

"Are-" He looks at his feet, "Are you sure?" Changbin recoils back a bit at the other's question.

"If I wasn't sure I wouldn't have asked. Come on, I don't bite." Changbin pats the seat beside him. Felix waits several more moments until taking a few steps forward and taking the seat next to the prince. They sit in an awkward silence for a while, Changbin wondering what to say and Felix's heart beating a million times faster than physically possible. The prince wonders if it's strange to look at the boy while they are in what seems to be an unending silence. Would he mind?

"Was there a reason you asked to meet me here, Your Highness?" Felix finally speaks up. Changbin turns his head towards the other, taking in the opportunity to look at him. Should he say the truth? What does he have to lose?

"Felix," He begins, "Do you have friends?" He asks the question with genuine curiosity. Felix is taken aback by the oddly personal question coming from the person he just met.

"Yes," He says in return.

"I assumed so. You seem like someone who would have a lot of companions."

"Um... What do you mean by that, Your Highness?" Felix shifts uncomfortably, still refusing to directly look at the prince.

"If I'm being honest, I have no idea. You just seem likable. You are likable."

"You are as well, Your Majesty." Felix replies a little too quickly. Changbin chuckles. He tries to make eye contact with him but Felix won't turn his face towards the prince.

"Others do not seem to think that. Why won't you look at me, Felix?" Changbin asks, curious of the boy's actions. Felix freezes and takes sudden interest in the ground.

"I-You're-" Felix struggles to find his words after the sudden confrontation. "You're the prince. I'm one of the lower class, you shouldn't have to look directly at someone like me." Changbin sighs. He scoots closer to the boy and shoves him with his shoulder.

"Please look at me." Changbin says softly. Felix slowly turns his head in the prince's direction, but still does not raise it. Their faces are close enough that Changbin can see freckles that are located across his nose and cheekbones. Raising his hand delicately, Changbin lifts his chin so their eyes meet. Felix hopes that the prince didn't notice the way his breath hitched as they looked at each other properly. "You don't need to address me so formally." Changbin says, taking his hand back and grinning at the other. Felix looks confused.

"What do you mean? You're the prince. How should I speak to you instead?" Felix wants to look somewhere else, but now that he's realized how truly breathtaking the prince is, he can't seem to tear his eyes away.

"I want you to speak to me the way you would speak to any other kid." Changbin smiles a little as Felix shakes his head in disagreement.

"But... You're the prince." His excuse still stands and Changbin sighs. Why is getting his point across so difficult with this boy?

"Being of some stupid royal family shouldn't change how people treat me. I'm a person, too,"

"Of course, Your High-" Changbin raised a finger and placed it right in front of Felix's lips, causing him to immediately pause in his sentence. 

"That means none of that. No "Your Highness" or "Your Majesty". Think of me as you would any of your other friends. Call me by my name." He waits in anticipation for Felix to say something. But, he doesn't. He looks away, staring back at the ground. Changbin's heart drops. He doesn't know what he expected. For Felix to jump at the chance of being friends with the prince and they'd be best pals for life? If he were here, Jisung would be on the floor laughing. He would always do that, laugh at Changbin's hopeful dreams. Maybe he laughed because they were desired by him as well, but he was too afraid to speak of them. 

Then, he did speak.

"Does everyone in the rich person circle walk around like they've got a stick up their ass? Or was it just the people from earlier?"

Changbin snorted loudly. That's one hell of a way to break the ice, and it's the first thing to make Changbin really laugh in months.

-

Walking around the courtyard, Felix told Changbin about his life outside of the royal home. He lives with his mother and sisters in a small apartment in the capital city. It was interesting to hear about life in such different circumstances.

"Did you say before that your mother worked here as well?" Changbin asked.

"Yeah. She's most of the reason why Hyunjin and I were hired. There's no way we would have been if she hadn't put in a good word. Well, maybe multiple words." Felix chuckled. He had loosened up a little bit and seemed more comfortable, but every now and then Changbin could notice him watching his language or fixing his posture.

"Hyunjin? Is he the other young one I saw at the party?"

"Yes, he's been by my side my entire life. Our families are close, and he helps support mine if we fail to make enough money." Felix runs a hand through his hair. It's weird to talk about financial problems to the prince. He tries to shove away his embarrassment by redirecting the attention. "I've told you about my life, would you tell me about yours? I've always wondered what it's like to live like this." Changbin shrugs and kicks a lone pebble across the pavement.

"I was born into this family of pretentious royals. I was raised by butlers and maids and discipline from my parents. I've never had to wait for anything, and had anything I could ever want. That is," He paused and sighed, "Except true freedom. Of speech, of mind. Everything I say or do that in any way contradicts my family's lifestyle and beliefs, I never hear the end of."

"Oh. That doesn't sound like what I thought it would be." Felix admits, swinging a foot forward. Changbin nods.

"It's not like anyone thinks. You all believe I live in luxury and happiness, champagne and crowns. It's not always like that. Actually," The words come out faster than he wants them too. He didn't want to mention it, but now Felix was intrigued.

"Actually...?" The other waits for the prince to elaborate, but he doesn't.

"i'd rather not speak of that specific time. But, I will say that I've had my share of troubled times and sadness. Heartbreak. Abuse." He doesn't say anything after that, and Felix doesn't ask. Instead, they walk in silence. Changbin has gotten over the insecurity he had about being shorter than the younger (he had discovered Felix was born a year after himself). In fact, he liked the difference. He felt like Felix was tall enough to protect him from the cruelty outside of their quiet conversations.

"You know, you're a lot nicer than you seem." Felix says after a short while. "I was terrified of you, in the beginning." 

"Yes, I noticed you were." Changbin laughs a bit as Felix's cheeks grow darker. "It's okay, it was cute."

Changbin isn't flirting. He isn't.

"Why do you have such a scary demeanor?" Felix asks, after choking at Changbin's last comment.

"Dear god, Felix, stop talking like I'm the king. I look pissed off all the time because I, for the most part, am indeed pissed off. I hate being around all those people, and I hate this whole environment. It makes me sick, thinking about being king. I'd rather be living like a normal person, and have to worry about my life, like you. I mean- You know what I mean." Changbin shakes his head, hoping his weird way of apologizing got across. Felix took in a deep breath and stopped walking. It took Changbin a couple of steps to realize what the other had done, and once he did he stopped as well. "Felix?"

"You don't get it, do you? You think your life is so terrible because you have everything except freedom? I would kill for that! Everyone I know would! We don't have that freedom either, Changbin!" Felix turned around and ran a hand through his hair, Changbin noticing that it seemed to be a habit. "We can't say shit on the streets because police will catch us and arrest us for suspected treason. If we even mutter a word about your family without it being utmost praise, we'll be in cuffs against a wall. It isn't great out there, either. That city? It's a shithole. Your family's amazing ruling of this country has sent it to hell." Felix stopped to catch his breath. He stared at Changbin, waiting for the prince to say something. Or call guards to arrest him. Felix wondered if he'd crossed the line with the whole "talk to me like any of your other friends" thing. The silence became unbearable, and Felix decided he should probably just leave before Changbin had him executed. 

"You're right." Felix spun around at the sound of the prince's voice. Changbin's expression was sad and... and...

Scared. 

"You're right," He said again. "I don't know what it's like. I'm sorry for trying to imagine a better life through your's. It isn't better. Nothing is good in this country anymore," Changbin felt tears rise, and he let them trail down his cheeks. He hasn't cried in a long time. "I guess, that's why I'm afraid to become responsible for it."

Felix no longer seemed intimidated by the prince. He took a few steps towards him and stood there, probably thinking about what would be the best thing to say. He opened his mouth a couple of times, but it never seemed to be right.

"You can change it." He finally mumbles, cautiously raising a hand and delicately brushing a tear of the prince's cheek. "I believe that you can change it for everyone." He doesn't know what came over him, but suddenly Changbin wrapped his arms around the younger and held him tightly. He hadn't hugged someone in a such a long time, and being close to Felix made him feel like he could do anything.

For the first time in years, he felt safe with someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im really thankful for the feedback im receiving on this! i wasn't expecting people to enjoy it lmao. do tell me what you think!!


	3. Did Anything Change? Is Anything Different?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the two friends have a bit of a falling out. trouble in paradise, it seems

Changbin wondered if wandering the halls like this was pointless. He hadn't had anything planned for the day except a lunch with his parents in an hour, so he spent the time he had walking aimlessly around the mansion, hoping to bump into a certain someone. Every time he thought about the previous night's events, he couldn't help but smile. Felix made him feel something he'd never felt before. It was exciting. It made his breath hitch and his heart race. 

Without thinking about it, he had walked into the courtyard. The brightness of the morning made the hedges and flowers glisten. The running water from the fountain provided a nice white noise as he walked through the courtyard, unknowingly following the same steps he and Felix walked the night before. He recalled the boy's freckles, the way he spoke, the difference in the height, the difference in their lives. Felix made Changbin rethink a lot of things. How he should be thankful for the life he has, and not wish for something worse. But still, there are downsides to every circumstance.

A plane flew overhead. The sound of them always put Changbin at ease. It allowed him to believe he'd perhaps escape on one. The thought excited him. A lot of things are exciting him today. He knows he shouldn't be too happy and expect a lot from the day, from experience he knows something will probably ruin it. But he can't help but smile to himself as he enters the house again and continues to walk around. He decides to make a visit to the kitchens, where he might be able to peek at what's being prepared for lunch and to see the cooks. He's particularly friendly with one, Miss Lee. She insists he not call her that ("It's too formal! You're my prince! I should be the one being formal to you!"), but he does it anyway. She works so hard, she deserves his respect. 

He likes the walk down to the kitchens. The hall is extremely elegant, for the impression on visitors, of course. It's in the middle of all the dining rooms, the door in the center of the corridor. It looks the same as the rest, dull and unpromising. But when opened, you see the hardworking cooks and servants, most smiling and trying to have a good time while working for such vile people. 

Walking into the kitchen, his mood only improved. It smelt amazing and upon his arrival, people were greeting him happily. 

"Prince Changbin!" Miss Lee exclaimed as she washed her hands. They were still damp when she placed them on his face, her own way of saying hello. "You look cheery today. Did something happen?" He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"I guess you could say that." He replied. She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, as if expecting an explanation.

"You aren't going to tell me?" She asks.

"It's not really that important. I met someone, that's all. Someone I can tolerate." Miss Lee is the only person he trusts to share his opinions to. Before she became more important in the kitchen, he would come in and talk endlessly to her. Sometimes angry. Sometimes sad. Sometimes sobbing. She's busier now, and they don't get to see each other often. Well, if he wanted, he could call for her whenever and she would have to come (he's the prince, for Christ's sake) but he wouldn't do that. He knows she has a family, and pulling her away when she's off duty is selfish.

"Someone? Only 'someone'? Changbin, dear, I've never seen you in such a good mood, this person better be great. So, what kind of relationship is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like her? Romantically? Did your parents introduce you two?" Changbin turns red when she mentions romance. He doesn't like Felix like, well, like that. 

"No no, not romantic. Just a new friend, that I happened to have met on my own." She grins and pats his shoulder.

"Good job, kiddo. Now, head off to your room and get ready for lunch." He obeys and leaves the kitchen and it's warm environment behind. The walk to the kitchen is wonderful, but the walk back is just a reminder that he's returning to reality.

Someone has laid his outfit on his bed when he enters his room. A crisp white button up shirt, like every other day. There's really no need to dress differently, but isn't that what normal people do? Have different outfits? Normal. That word sounds so silly.

There's a knock on his door.

"Yes?" He answers, turning towards the door while doing up the last button of his shirt. It opens and in walks the person that can't seem to leave Changbin's thoughts. "Felix," He doesn't try to stop the smile that appears on his face. The other smiles in return, then directs an arm towards outside of the room.

"I'm here to escort you to your meal, Your Majesty." Changbin can hear the humour in his tone, which makes him laugh. He follows his friend out of the room, and down towards one of the smaller dining rooms in the house. They don't speak but it's a comfortable silence. Felix bows to him when they reach their destination, but there's no humour in this action. It's uncomfortable, but Changbin understands. Now they're in complete sight of Changbin's parents and senior servants to Felix. Felix cannot act naturally.

"Changbin." The king says dully as the prince sits down next to his mother at the round table. He greeted his parents and sat quietly, waiting for them to say what they had to say. They don't normally eat together like this unless Changbin did something wrong. He can't recall it now, but he's sure that's the case. Food is presented to the family by some servants, but more importantly, Felix and Hyunjin. Or, who Changbin assumes is Hyunjin. He's taller than Felix, which intimidates him. He's handsome, way too handsome to just be a servant. He shouldn't think like that, thinking only of his looks. He remembers what Felix said about his friend the night before, how he was kind and hilarious. Changbin tries not to smile as Felix places a bowl in front of him.

"Changbin, there's something we need to discuss." The prince pulls his attention away from Felix, who's now standing by the door waiting to do something else. His mother is staring at him intensely.

"What is it?"

"That man you spoke to at the party last night," She says, stirring her soup with the spoon, "He tells us you denied his offer. You informed us that you accepted it, did you not?" Changbin recalls the night before and curses himself for saying that as an excuse to leave.

"Yes, I did refuse him." He admits. "I-I needed an excuse to leave. I apologize." Realizing that what he says to his parents never does well, he regrets it as soon as he says it. His father slammed his palm on the table, shaking the centerpiece.

"You should not be coming up with excuses to leave. You are obligated to be there, so you will be there!" His father says angrily. Changbin nods and stares at the food before him, his appetite disappearing completely.

"And you cannot keep denying marriage proposals!" The queen speaks up also. "Do you know how difficult it is to find women suitable to be your wife? She was the best candidate yet! Eventually you're going to have to marry someone. So it's going to be her." Changbin's stomach drops. He looks up, his eyes meeting the angry stares of his parents.

"W-What? But... I don't want to marry her!"

"How do you know? You don't know her. But it doesn't matter, you won't meet her until your wedding day." His mother sighs. "We've talked it over with her family. You two are to wed next month. She's from a family that is quite high in status and the best offer we've received. I'm sure she'll be pleased to become a queen." Changbin clenches the tablecloth. An arranged marriage. Of course, what else should he have expected? He kept denying marriage offers. He's surprised it took this long for them to take it into their own hands.

"Changbin," His father's cold eyes turn the prince pale. "You need to smarten up. You won't gain rule if you keep doing reckless things. Denying marriages, leaving parties, and running around at midnight with some servant boy?" Changbin whips his head towards Felix, and like all of his other actions, regrets it. Felix has disappeared, but his father notices and eyes the people by the door. "You." He points to Hyunjin. "Come here."

"Father, stop, that isn't-"

"Be quiet, Changbin. You," He turns to Hyunjin, who is staring straight ahead and visibly nervous. "You've been pulling my son away from his duties?" Hyunjin shakes his head.

"Father, he isn't-"

"You woke him up at midnight so you two could parade around the courtyard, did I hear it correctly?" Hyunjin stays silent and shakes his head again. The king suddenly grabs Hyunjin's forearm, gripping it tightly. "You will not lie to your king!" He bellows. Changbin notices when the door open quietly and Felix enters the room once again. He stops when he sees what's happening at the table. He looks at Changbin, and then motions towards the situation between Hyunjin and the king.

"Father, please!" Changbin stands up, grasping the attention of his father. "He didn't do anything wrong. Please, let him go." The king drops Hyunjin's arm, only to slap the back of his hand across the poor boy's face. 

"You will never speak to anyone higher than you without being asked to. You will never serve for my wife and I again. Only at gatherings and for my intolerable son. You are lucky you're handsome, you'll attract the women. But otherwise, you would be fired on the spot." Hyunjin nods. The king waves a hand in dismissal and Hyunjin leaves the room quickly, obeying the king's order of never serving the royal couple again.

The king and queen continue to eat their meal. How, Changbin doesn't know. He's so hot with fury that he can't even sit back down. He tries to look at Felix for reassurance but the boy doesn't meet his eyes.

Unsure of what else to do, he leaves. He ignores his father demanding his return. Damn it, he's really in for it now.

-

Having know interest in walking around the house or courtyard anymore, Changbin sits on his bed with multiple books surrounding him. He's been there for hours, reading, trying to escape his responsibilities, as any other teenager would. He wasn't allowed to have a phone. It was too dangerous. Too many enemies to the kingdom. Too easy to track. Too easy to find. But he's fine with it, if he got bored with a book, he'd move on to the next one, and then the next. It's something he's been doing for years. On days where he had no schedule, there is nothing to do except scour the library and find something new.

Changbin didn't notice when someone entered his bedroom. He was too engrossed in his current book to even notice when they stopped right before it. It was only when they cleared their throat did Changbin notice. When he saw who it was, he got up off his bed and flattened his now wrinkly shirt that he hadn't bothered to change. Felix stood awkwardly a few feet away, looking at Changbin. He wasn't nervous to do so anymore.

"Felix, I didn't hear you come in." The prince smiles in greeting. Felix nods, and Changbin notices his demeanor. "Is something wrong?" He steps towards his friend, but Felix only takes a step back.

"What happened? What made the king so angry with Hyunjin? Angry enough to... to hurt him?" Felix's expression is enough to break Changbin's heart in two.

"I-It wasn't Hyunjin's fault..."

"He won't even tell me what happened! He refuses to talk to me! Why would my best friend and brother not tell me about something like this? I walk into the room to see him get slapped across the face and shouted at, and he won't even tell me why? You say it isn't his fault, so what else could have caused it?" Changbin is frozen. It feels like Felix is staring directly into his soul, pulling and ripping through his mind for answers.

"Felix, I need you to calm down first." He takes another step toward the younger and he doesn't step back. "I won't tell you if you keep shouting at me. Someone will hear you and we won't be able to be near each other." Felix looks away and takes a deep breath. Changbin takes another step towards his friend. "After you stepped out of the room, my father and mother told me they heard that I'd been fooling around outside with one of the young servant boys. I was stupid, and looked to where you were, but Hyunjin was the only one standing there. My father mistook him for you." Felix pursed his lips.

"He was being punished, I take it?" Changbin nods in confirmation. "And he didn't want me to know it was my fault. That's why he wouldn't tell me, that asshole," Felix turned away and ran a hand through his hair. He paced around for a few moments then stopped, turning back in the prince's direction. "Why didn't you do anything to stop him?"

"S-Sorry?"

"You barely tried to stop him from hurting Hyunjin. And even when I hinted that you should, you just stood awkwardly and took a while to say something! Did anything change? Is anything different? I thought that now you knew a little bit of what it's like to live as the lower class after I told you last night, but I guess you still don't really get it. I thought it'd be easier for you to stick up for us." 

"Felix, you don't know-"

"I know enough. I thought you'd be different from others." Felix begins to stalk towards the door. Changbin grabs his arm before he can leave.

"Others? What others? Who's hurt you before? I never meant to hurt you."

"I haven't gotten as close to someone as fast as I did you. It was terrifying to open up to you, but once I did I felt safe. I guess I was wrong. None of this is real."

"It is real! It's all real. Please, just stay and I'll explain." Changbin turns the boy towards him, but Felix refuses to look at him.

"Please excuse me, Your Highness." Felix says bluntly. 

"No! I can't just fuck up like this and let it go."

"Changbin, let me leave!" 

The prince grabs the boy by the shoulders and pulls him towards himself. Their faces are so close together that Changbin can feel the other's breath. Surprisingly, Felix doesn't pull away. Changbin decides that he's messed up enough and this won't make the situation worse, so he closes the space between their lips, placing a chaste kiss on the younger's mouth. Felix hates himself as he lets himself relax into the kiss. It infuriates him how this boy has this affect on him. Coming back to his senses, Felix breaks away and stares at the prince angrily. Changbin looks at him sorrowfully, as if he had been expecting the worst. 

"Get the fuck off of me." He pushes himself off of the prince. Felix doesn't ask to be dismissed. He leaves and doesn't plan on returning. He didn't know what he thought was going to happen, becoming friends with the conceited prince of this god-awful country. He wants to regret it. He wants to regret it. Key word: wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhahahshasahahs angst. hope y'all enjoyed me ripping out your hearts and stepping on them because i love writing angst and i was so into writing thissssa hshshfhgd :)


	4. Remind Me Why I Like Him And Not You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> felix goes through a lot of emotions while trying to understand his best friend and his own self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STRAY KIDS DEBUT!!!!! i'm so happy and proud of them and their music. they are my bias group and im so happy. my favourite songs of i am not are grow up/doing well and mirror. i hope you guys are as happy as me :D  
> \---  
> this is purely dedicated to felix's perspective :) there's a fair bit of cursing in this chapter, my apologies if you don't like that stuff but i'll try and keep it down for upcoming chapters. also there is quite a bit of dialogue, this is a conversation heavy chapter.

The silence was awkward between the two friends. Sitting side by side on a bus while not talking to each other was rare between the pair, so rare that some of their colleagues who happened to take the same bus as them looked confused as to why the two 16 year old kids weren't hooting about something or another. Felix couldn't look at his friend. There was a small bruise on his cheekbone where the king had struck him. When they got off the bus, the walk back to their homes was also silent. He didn't want to bring up the day's events until they were in the safety of their home. Hyunjin had tried to quickly enter his house, but Felix grabbed his arm and dragged him up to Felix's family's apartment which was located directly above his. Felix sat him down on his bed and crossed his arms. Seeing him so serious, Hyunjin couldn't help but laugh.

"This isn't funny."

"Come on, man, you don't strike me as intimidating."

"The prince told me everything. Why you were hit. Why wouldn't you just tell me?" Hyunjin lets his back fall on the bed. The laughing has stopped, but his friend still doesn't seem to want to talk about what happened earlier in the day while they were serving the royal family lunch.

"Look," He says after a bit of silence, "Do I even need to explain it if the prince told you?" Felix crosses him arms across his chest and continues to give his best serious look. He thinks it's starting to work because Hyunjin seems to be getting uncomfortable.

"Yes. I want to hear you say it. You should have told me right away, anyway,"

"Fine. The king mistook me for you. He found out about you and the prince last night and when the prince looked my way, the king assumed I was the one. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Hyunjin asks. Felix nods stubbornly, not thinking he would get this far this quick. Ignoring Hyunjin's chuckle, he sits down next to his friend.

"I still wish I didn't have to find out from him." Felix admits, resting his head on the taller boy's shoulder. The emotions from the commotion with the prince are all hitting him now, and they don't feel anything short of awful.

"I know, I know. But doesn't that mean you got to spend some quality time with him?" Hyunjin teases, poking Felix in the side of his stomach. He stops when he sees his friend's expression, and realizes that something must have happened. When Hyunjin first saw Felix after his time with the prince the night before, he wouldn't shut up about him. So why is he now acting to dismissive to him? "Did something happen between you two? I thought I'd been replaced as your best friend." The joke doesn't lift the spirits of Felix, so Hyunjin just nudges him softly and asks what's wrong.

"It doesn't matter, I don't care about him anymore." 

"Felix, you can't say that. You are not allowed to say you don't care about him, because the way you were before this all went down, the way you were acting, you were the happiest I've ever seen you. And you know that I'm telling you the truth because I know you better than anyone else does. He makes you really happy. And you've always had a crush on him, even before we officially met him. I've always seen it in your eyes, whenever you saw a picture of the prince or saw him on TV. I may seem like it, but I'm not an idiot, Felix." Hyunjin turns to look at his friend, letting Felix's head fall off his shoulder. The other looks at the floor and sighs.

"I know. But, I'm just so mad at him. I don't know if I can forgive the shit he did."

"What could he have done to piss you off so bad? I thought the only time you saw him was at the lunch. Did something happen after?"

"I mean, kinda. It was the whole thing during lunch that-"

"Felix!" Interrupting their conversation, Felix's older sister comes into the room. "Could you two please keep it down? It's late and we're trying to sleep." Felix nodded, mentally hitting himself for disturbing his sisters and mother. It was often late when he and Hyunjin returned home. He stood up and approached his sister.

"Yeah, we're sorry. It was a difficult day." She nods and leaves the room. "Come on," Felix beckons his friend, "Let's go to the rooftop."

Leaving a note on the counter that they would be out for a while, Felix and Hyunjin leave the apartment and begin their trek. The rooftop is exactly what it sounds like, an empty roof of an abandoned building a few blocks away. They'd discovered it a couple of years back when they were exploring the area. Felix's dad had passed and his family had just moved into this neighbourhood because they lost all their money. Felix, being the curious 11 year old he was, took his best friend and ran all over the neighbourhood. They found a fire escape and climbed the whole building until they reached the top. It was clear and had a technical booth, which they'd turned their "secret lair" as 11 year old's name things. It became their second home (aside from each other's respective family's home) and had been their safehouse in all tragedies. Even that time Hyunjin was on the run from the police.

That is never spoken of.

Felix tries not to thing of the prince as they walk through the streets. It's surprisingly busy tonight, people going to and from bars, getting off work or heading to night shifts. This city is interesting, everyone has a story. He can guess the life of a few of the people they walk past, just by the way they walk or what they're wearing. He wonders how many of them could guess anything about himself, then laughs at his thought in his head. Who could guess that the crown prince kissed him?

That kiss. It kept replaying in his head, each time a different outcome would happen. Instead of pushing him off, he lets it happen. Instead of pushing him off, he kisses him harder. Instead of pushing him off, he pushes him onto his bed and-

"Oh my god, Hyunjin, punch me. Please." He groans. Hyunjin pauses in his step, backs up a little, winds up and socks his friend in the shoulder. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Are you going to talk to me about the prince now?" Felix shushes his friend before looking around them. They had entered the alley where the fire escape was.

"Fine. But on the way up. You first." Hyunjin starts to climb, and Felix starts to explain. "I don't see why you aren't angry with him. He wasn't doing anything while you were getting punished for nothing! He knew it wasn't you and barely did anything to stop the king!"

"Dude, he was too speaking up." Hyunjin objects.

"What do you mean? He was sitting there while you got shouted at, watching it all happen! I only heard him speak up once, after I came in and asked him to!" Hyunjin stops at a platform in the stairwell and turns to his friend.

"No, Felix, you weren't there the whole time. He was protesting the whole time, but kept getting interrupted. I doubt you could hear from where you were, he's quite a quiet guy. But he was trying. Believe me." Felix turns away, annoyed that everything he's saying today is being shut down. But, he is being unreasonable and not trying to understand other points of view.

"He admitted to it, though..." Felix mumbles as he pushes past him. Hyunjin spins and watches him run up the stairs.

"WHAT? Felix, did you meet him after? You son of a bitch!" He chases after him, while Felix picks up his pace as soon as he notices Hyunjin is after him.

"I know for a fact that you think my mother wonderful!" He chuckles as he reaches the top of the building and runs to the hideout. He sits down on one of the pillows and waits until Hyunjin bursts in. But he doesn't. He waits for a few minutes, then decides to see what caused him to be delayed like this.

"Hyunjinnie~" He calls while stepping out of the hideout, only to be betrayed.

"Boo!" Hyunjin was hiding behind the door, waiting for Felix to come out and look for him. Felix recoils back and squeals quite loudly. This wasn't an unexpected prank, but Felix had too much on his mind to think of it's possibility,

"Jesus-Fuck! Hyunjin! You piece of shit!" Hyunjin laughs as Felix hits him repeatedly on the chest. This was how it's supposed to be. No fighting between them, only stupid laughter and Hyunjin's dumb jokes.

"Okay, dude, you really gotta tell me," The taller says as they sit down on the ledge of the building. "Did you meet him after? Did you yell at him? You get passionate that way, you know." Felix nods and sighs.

"Yeah, I did. I wanted to know what you weren't telling me, and yes I was mad at him for not standing up for you, and said a lot of shitty things. I-I regret it. A lot."

"What did you say?"

"I accused him of being a terrible person. I said he was just another person I let into my life to hurt me. Like... Like 'that bastard' did before."

"Did you tell the prince about him?"

"No, but... I released a lot of anger I had pent up from what he did. If I ever see him again, I swear I'm going to deck him." Felix clenches his fists just thinking about him. 'That bastard' was a kid Felix met last year. He was kind at first, one of the richer kids from the central part of the city. But he quickly became a big jerk towards him, Hyunjin and their friends, to the point where they were publicly humiliated. Felix doesn't like to think about it, but ever since he's been cautious about people getting close to him.

"Did anything else happen? Anything else to piss you off so badly?"

"Yeah,"

"What was it?"

"I really don't want to talk about it..."

"Okay," Hyunjin says, kicking his feet in the air and letting them bounce back on the ledge in a pattern. Felix waits for him to urge him on, but he knows by now that's Hyunjin's tactic to get him to say it. So he does.

"He... um... he kissed me." His cheeks turn red as he says it out loud for the first time. When Hyunjin doesn't reply, Felix turns his head only to meet the stare of his friend beside him. He couldn't decide what the look was supposed to be... surprise? Disgust?

"You aren't messing with me, right? Prince Seo Changbin kissed you? You didn't kiss him?" His mouth twitches into a smile before returning to it's original shape.

"If you're asking if he initiated it, then yes he did. Did I return it? Um... only a little bit." Hyunjin begins to bounce up and down with excitement, continuously shoving Felix with his shoulder.

"And you're mad about that? With the way you talked about him, I thought you liked him. Do you not like him?" He stops bouncing, waiting for Felix'x response.

"I-I don't know. I have no idea how I feel about him. I don't know why he kissed me. He can do much better. Fuck..." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "He didn't deserve me yelling at him like that. He won't forgive me for this. I'm such a hothead! Why didn't I think before I said anything!" Hyunjin lays an arm around Felix's shoulders, listening to him ramble about how he messed up. Looking out across the city before them, he thinks about how he can somehow help him. There isn't much he can do, really, except listen and offer the best advice he could come up with. He wishes Felix didn't have to feel so conflicted and mad at himself. It's often he does this, get overwhelmed and ramble for a while until he just stops. Speaking of which...

He stopped. Hyunjin squeezed Felix's shoulder in reassurance, trying to figure out what to say. He normally always had something, either helpful or stupid enough to make Felix laugh, but today he was speechless. These events were like nothing they'd experienced before. He eventually found a memory from their childhood that could be applied to this.

"Hey, remember when we stole that crate of food from the market?" Felix perks up when he hears the mention of the random memory.

"We did that 6 years ago, what does that have anything to do with what we're talking about now?"

"You stole the crate because you knew it had popular food that would have saved the market financially. What made you want to steal it?" Felix scoffs at Hyunjin's seemingly stupid question. He knew the reason.

"Why are you making me do this?"

"Answer the damn question so I can be wise." Hyunjin orders. 

"Someone stole something and made it look like you did it so the shop owner took it out on you. You always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, huh?" Hyunjin doesn't acknowledge the comment and continues with his inspirational speech.

"So you took the crate in revenge for him yelling at me. It was heroic, but stupid, and you regretted it after when we discovered that the shop owner was actually a pretty decent dude who was having a bad week. It all was fine in the end because you made it up to him, right? We found out how to apologize, and it worked out."

"What's your point?"

"Come on, Felix, catch up! You messed up with Prince Changbin, but I know you and when you apologize, you mean it. So all you gotta do is figure out what you're going to say. If he kissed you, he likes you enough to be willing to listen." Felix looks across the skyline and after a few moments, nods and bumps his and Hyunjin's shoulders.

"When did you get so smart? Really, it's kinda weird. I'm not used to it." Hyunjin punched Felix in the shoulder for that comment.

"Hey! I'm smart! How do you think I graduated?"

"What did you graduate? Middle school?"

"We may have dropped out but I don't need a teacher to tell me how to be wise!" Felix laughs at his friend's weird personality, and is thankful that he doesn't feel sad or angry anymore. He rests his head on Hyunjin's shoulder once again, then wraps his arms around him.

"This is going to sound very cheesy, but thank you, Hyunjin." Felix can almost hear Hyunjin's internal vomiting, but the taller of the pair doesn't vocalize it. Instead, he hugs his friend closer. Whoever said two guys can't hug without it being a romantic thing should do it sometime. It's always nice to be able to express their emotions and talk it out when things get too hard.

"This is also going to sound cheesy, but thank YOU, Felix. You made my life way more interesting than it should be." They share a laugh. It's quiet, and they reminisce the good and the bad times they've gone through. Whatever it was, they've done it together. Nothing can break apart this friendship. Not their parents who think each other is a bad influence sometimes, not the kids at school who would call them gay and throw stones at them, not the people on the street who shout at them for standing to close together or for doing stupid things in the streets, like seeing who can jump the highest by high-fiving a street sign.

"Remind me why I like him and not you," Felix says, breaking the silence. "It would be so much easier to like you."

"Oooooh," Hyunjin says, the curiosity in his tone evident, "So you're admitting to liking him? Is this official?"

"Yeah, whatever. I just wish I didn't like the damn crown prince of this garbage country. And I just met him yesterday! Make me fall in you with you, Hyunjinnie~." Felix coos, rubbing his head playfully on Hyunjin's shoulder while the recipient laughs.

"Oh, Felix, I'm sorry, but I don't think Seungmin would be a fan of that..." He says it so casually that Felix almost doesn't pick it up, but when he does he pulls himself off Hyunjin in a split second and grabs him by the shoulders.

"Did my ears deceive me or did you just say what I think you said? You're actually dating Seungmin now?" Felix asks in amazement. Did Hwang Hyunjin, who has liked Kim Seungmin for so long he can't even remember, finally muster up the courage to ask him out.

"Yeah...." This is the first time Felix has seen Hyunjin so embarrassed and flustered in years.

"When did this happen? Oh my goodness, good job dude! You actually did it!" 

"To be honest, he did it. It was last week, when you were having your first shift at the Royal House. I wasn't on call till the morning and I decided to go to his apartment. We were hanging out, and then..."

"And then?" Felix shakes his friend in anticipation.

"And then he started talking about how close you and I are, and how for a while he thought we were... you know... a couple, like everyone else on the planet seems to think. I denied it, and then he said that if it was true, I wouldn't mind if he kissed me. So, I let him. And now, here we are." Hyunjin is wearing the happiest smile, and Felix's heart is racing just hearing about his two friends being happy together.

"That's amazing, dude! Does Jeongin know?"

"Yeah, he accidentally walked in on us a few days ago."

"Ooooh, now I'm curious to know what he saw!"

"Shut up, Felix, I was only being a little flirty but it was undeniable. And you know Jeongin, jumping to conclusions." Felix heaves a long sigh and grins.

"I'm proud of you, man."

"Oh, be quiet. Now it's your turn. Go and apologize to that pretty prince of your's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little side seungjin for my aching seungjin heart :) remember to stream hellevator and district 9!


	5. Everything Today Has Been A Lie, Except This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> changbin does some digging and finds out more than he expected to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao i'm just gonna say it now, this is long and boring af and makes literally nO sense  
> ok have fun ily please stick it out with me it'll get better  
> recommended songs for the end of the chapter: grow up (sk) i see (j.one) because it's you (astro)  
> ^basically what i listened to while writing it and it changed the whole mood

Stupid. Stupid. He's so stupid. 

That's the only thought that has been on Changbin's mind for the past 3 days. It was stupid not to help Hyunjin, it was stupid now to stand up to his father, it was stupid to kiss Felix.

It was stupid to let Felix leave.

He'd seen the him working, walking through the corridors on errands, leaving the house after his shift ended. He kept trying to build up the courage to stop him and apologize, but he feels as though that wouldn't be a good idea. Felix hates him, and there's nothing he can do to change that. He tried to make a new friend, and it blew up in his face. It's his fault.

His parents have been keeping a closer eye on him since the incident. There is almost always a guard or servant outside his bedroom (sometimes inside), and he is never to go anywhere alone. That means no more walks in the courtyard or trips to the kitchens. It made him feel like a child again, when someone would always trail him in case he stumbled in on something he shouldn't see, or broke an expensive vase that would be useless anyway. He'd spent the last 2 days trying to figure out how he could escape and be truly alone for a while, and decided that if he went to the library and weaved through the many bookshelves, he could lose the person trailing him. And in the library, he could look for any classified files that he could use against his parents if need be. That's been a hobby of his for a few years now, ever since he started thinking of what he should do when he, although unwanted, becomes king. If he found enough valid evidence for something bad they'd done, he could throw them out of the country and start to change it without them stopping him. Changbin knows that if he gains rule while his parents are still around they will only use him and the queen as puppets.

The queen. He's tried his best not to think of the wedding that is approaching slowly. There were too many things that the prince never wanted to think about again, and marriage was one of them. He never saw the appeal in it, and didn't understand why he needed a wife. She shouldn't be an item for him to show off.

"Where are you going?" The guard that was currently posted outside his bedroom asked when he stepped out.

"The library." He replied bluntly, not stopping his pace and making his way through the halls. The guard follows, and Changbin walks faster. He enters the library a few minutes before the guard will, and immediately runs to the back where important documents are kept. The only reason he knows they're there is because he is allowed in every area in the house except this section and his parents' chambers.

He hears the guard enter, but doesn't worry too much about being found. He looks over the files and their labels. There's files for the history of the country, of his family and the monarchy, and of each member ever labelled as a Seo of royal blood. His grandparents, great grandparents, his own parents and himself. He expected there to be a small gap where they removed her file, but it's still there, in between his mother and himself. His sister's file. The only evidence of her existence. Changbin let his fingers rest on the folder, deciding if he should look at it or not. But curiosity gets the best of him, and he pulls it out and opens the folder. There's only one page inside, containing basic facts. Birthdate, name, blood relation. It stated her to be the crown princess, and how she was to become queen once she reached the age of 18, as Changbin would be now. She should have become queen 3 years ago, but she died months before her coronation. She even had a boyfriend who was to become king alongside her, one who was approved by their parents. They claimed she had died suddenly from a sickness she'd been suffering from and that they'd been hiding it from Changbin. He always had trouble believing it, but he had nothing else to believe. But as he read the file, he discovered the truth that had been hidden for so long.

"The Princess was removed from the royal family due to the acts of treason she committed in the months leading up to her coronation. The public and staff were told she died due to a illness she had been suffering long term. She died by an injection of poison during her sleep due to risk of tainting the government. This was done for the safety of the country."

There was a picture at the bottom of the page. She was in her gown Changbin remembered as her coronation dress, and had an intimidating glow. She was beautiful, he always remembered her as beautiful. They weren't close, not as close as other siblings were. He had trouble remembering her over the years because in the few years before her coronation, she barely had time to see him. He briefly remembered moments of their childhood where they would read together, or eat together without their parents to tell them to take their elbows of the table, or to stop playing with the decorative flowers in the centerpiece. Before meeting his 2 friends, she was his only escape. He mourned her death and wished that nature hadn't claimed her so quickly. But, as it turns out, nature didn't claim her at all. She was murdered. 

This. This is the stuff he needs to take over properly. He doesn't know how they found out about the princess's plans for treason, but he doesn't plan to get caught. As soon as he gains rule, for what they did, he's going to have them killed. The current king and queen are terrible leaders, and although his sister would do so much better, he's going to try and make it better.

"Pardon me, Your Highness," The sudden voice surprises the prince. He drops the file to the ground and prepares to break for it, until he sees who it was who sneaked up on him. It was Hyunjin, the friend of Felix who took more of a beating than he ever deserved. 

"It's you. Hyunjin." The boy nods, bending down to pick up the file Changbin dropped, but he stopped him. He shouldn't be working for him. He doesn't want him to. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" Hyunjin folds his hands and looks at his feet in... embarrassment?

"Please, don't be disturbed, but, I followed you. I told the guard that I would supervise you. I apologize, but I really need to speak with you. I hope you don't mind." He says, bowing slightly. 

"No, thank you. I wanted to speak with you as well. What's up? And please, cool it on the respectful stuff." Hyunjin looks surprised at first but nods. 

"I wanted to apologize. I caused you and Felix to fight with each other," Changbin wants to argue and disagree but he decides to hear him out. "He was so excited about your friendship and I think I ruined it for you guys. I didn't mean for him to get so mad at you. You didn't deserve to see him like that." Changbin nods.

"Thanks for the apology, but honestly you did nothing wrong. You got wrapped up in something that was between my parents and I and thought it was best to keep it from Felix. It's fine, it was my fault for not standing up for you. I should have known better, and I know better now."

"No, with all due respect, Prince Changbin, the one who is at fault is Felix. He didn't hear you out and blamed you when you weren't at fault. I explained the situation to him. He agrees with me that he was jumping to conclusions and didn't understand the whole situation. He's sorry. He feels very guilty, and really regrets all that he said." Changbin pauses for a moment before responding. This whole thing was so confusing, and he doesn't know how to respond. Now that he's really thought about it, he did try to help Hyunjin. Felix falsely accused him, it does seem that way now. But he isn't mad at him.

"If he's so sorry why doesn't he come and apologize himself?" It hurts to say that. Changbin wants to act angry, but it's difficult when all he wants to do is be with him, to laugh and smile with him. Damn, he hasn't known him long at all, and this is how he feels. But it feels right.

"Would you believe me if I told you he was too terrified to even be in the same room as you?"

"So, he really is sorry? I thought he would hate me forever. I messed up."

"I thought we cleared that up? You didn't do anything wrong." Changbin looks at the other and sighs.

"Well, he seems to have told you everything already. He also told you about the kiss, correct?" Hyunjin freezes and looks at the floor. 

"Oh... yes, he did."

"I feel terrible about that. Please tell him that. I regret pushing myself onto him like that. It was inappropriate." The taller of the two shifts uncomfortably, thinking about what to say to the prince. He wants to keep it quiet, but he also wants Felix to be happy. He could tell after he told him about his relationship with Seungmin, he felt lonelier. All Hyunjin wanted was to see his friend in a good relationship where he was happy, and never excluded.

"Prince Changbin, don't regret it. I assure you, he appreciated it more than you think." Changbin's cheeks turned red and the servant boy dismissed himself and left quickly.

"Wait- Hyunjin!" But the boy was already gone, and left the prince with a racing heart and a sea of messed up thoughts. What's he supposed to do now? His fingers flipped through files, and his eyes scanned them without truly taking in the information. Does he wait for Felix to approach him or does he go to him first? Hyunjin said the other was terrified of being in the same room as him, so what if he never talks to him again? All those questions left unanswered, but now there was a question he'd been asking for a long time that had an answer. Felix appreciated the kiss. 

"He likes me." Changbin whispered to himself, squishing the paper in his hands without noticing until the edge nipped the tip of his finger. He pulled his hand away before he got blood on the paper. He didn't want to leave evidence that he'd been looking through them. While smoothing out the paper, he read the contents of it. He didn't expect to find anything else more interesting today, but this was the next best thing after the discovery of his sister.

The first page of the documents displayed a news article from many, many years ago. It had a picture of Changbin's great grandfather. The headline stated that the queen had died and that he would be taking over as ruler. Changbin was confused because he knew everything about his ancestors (thanks to many lessons on them) and never learned about how his great grandfather had become king. In the foyer of the house there was a large image of the Seo family tree, and according to that his great grandfather had been the crown prince and gained the title of king naturally. This queen was also nowhere to be seen on the family tree. Nowhere on the tree was there someone with the surname 'Lee'. It's almost as if the entire family avoided them. 

He took the file with him as he scoured for the name 'Lee'. Anything he could find could lead him to more information on this previous queen. Finally finding a dusty folder labelled with that exact surname, he was surprised to see it quite full. He slowly read through the first page which seemed to have everything he needed. Almost a whole summary of what was in the folder.

"RESTRICTED: The history of how the Seo family claimed the throne over the original royal Lee family. It has been hidden over the years and is forbidden to speak of. The generations after the second Seo king have no understanding of this situation and will never be informed. If any descendant of the last living Lee monarch attempts to fight for the throne, legally they have the upper hand. The Lee's have received money over the years to keep their silence or have fallen to the lower class. The Seo's have technically taken the country illegally by claiming to have married into the family, but that is incorrect. The first king was never in wedlock to the late queen, who was indeed killed by the king so he could gain rule. RESTRICTED."

Changbin's jaw clenched so hard while reading through the document he thought he might chip a tooth. So, this is how his family gained rule? Illegally? Seemed believable enough. From what he'd learned today, his ancestors were some of the most cruel people he's ever heard of. Everything he had learned thus far was wrong. They were all impostors. He tucked the files under his arms and stormed out of the library. He needed a plan. He can't confront his parents about this now, they'll surely kill him like they did his sister. The thought gave him chills. He wasn't safe here. And now he was carrying evidence of his investigations. He's on thin ice, and needs to stick it out for a few months until he becomes king. Then he will expose the previous monarchs. He'll have every remaining Seo killed, until he's the last one. The only one who knows what's right. He'll find a Lee of descent and appoint them. He'll be off the hook.

Back in his room, he shoved the folders behind the back of his bed's headboard, praying they wouldn't be discovered there. His bed was rarely moved around, but there's possibilities of anything. 

He said he wouldn't bother sneaking around anywhere, but after his discoveries he needed to be with someone who could lift his mood. He knew he wouldn't come to him, so he decided to search for Felix himself. Today wasn't eventful, and he knew there wouldn't be many guards throughout the halls, and since Hyunjin thankfully called off the other one from earlier, there was a large chance he could sneak away without being caught.

It took him a significant amount of more time to get down to the corridor where the staff lounge was located. It was directly across from the kitchens, which was convenient because Miss Lee was just leaving when he entered the hall.

"Miss Lee!" Lee. She's a Lee.

"Prince Changbin! You haven't visited for a while, I was worried."

"I'm sorry about that, and I'll explain another time. This will be random, but do you know if there is someone named Felix working today?" He was puzzled when she just laughed.

"I believe I'd know if my son was in today. Yes, he is. How do you know him?" Changbin froze and mentally hit himself for not trying to put together the dots. 

"He's your son, that's wonderful. I need him to meet with me, if you see him could you send him to my chambers?" 

"Sure, but wouldn't it be easier for you to ask him yourself?" She pointed behind him, where Felix was standing frozen and confused. Changbin smiled as soon as he saw him, glad to see his stupid freckles again. He was about to say something, but Changbin spoke up first.

"Thank you, Miss Lee. I'll visit soon!" Changbin waved goodbye to his favourite staff member and ran off, taking Felix's hand as he ran past. Holding hands with him sent chills through his body and made his cheeks burn, but it also was an amazing feeling. This feeling of being free, Changbin has been waiting for it. He feels it with Felix. He feels so much with Felix.

"Where are we going?" Felix would ask as they ran through the many halls and corridors. Changbin would only look at him and smile, then continue to drag him around. It took a few minutes, but the pair eventually found themselves on the balcony that looked over the courtyard. They could easily be seen up here, but Changbin had run out of worries for the day. The sun was setting and the scene was beautiful. Changbin didn't let go of Felix's hand. He only holds it tighter and looks at him. His eyes are shining in the glow of the sunlight.

"Hyunjin tells me you were meaning to apologize." 

"Y-Yes. Changbin, I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay. I know you mean it, I don't have to hear it. I'm sorry for making you angry." The two smile softly at each other. He doesn't know what else to say. In this light, Felix is breathtaking. How his heart hasn't broken his ribs from beating so hard, he doesn't know. 

"You didn't let me say the whole thing. I'm sorry for accusing you without listening properly, and I'm sorry if I hurt you... when I left..." He doesn't say it but Changbin knows he means how he reacted to the sudden kiss.

"I wasn't hurt by that. I was mad at myself for doing that to you so suddenly. I shouldn't have." He wants to look away, but he can't take his eyes off Felix's sincere expression.

"No... I'm really glad you did. You... you made me realize that I like you. Your smile gives me butterflies, the way you speak makes my heart race, and holding hands with you right now, I don't know how I haven't passed out yet." He laughs, and Changbin laughs as well. Changbin's heart flutters at Felix's confession. 

"I feel the same. I can't articulate it like you just did, but I do. Everything today has been a lie, except this." Changbin chuckles, using his other hand to pull Felix closer to him. They're closer than they've ever been before, and it's exhilarating. Changbin takes a chance, but this time, he knows it's okay. He bumps Felix's nose with his own, then presses their lips together. It doesn't last for long because the two won't stop smiling. It's good. It's too good. Changbin almost thinks he doesn't deserve it. But, even he deserves someone good in his life.

"I didn't think this was how my day was going to end. Finally, I have good news to tell Hyunjin." They share another laugh. Finally, Changbin had another good memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this really is less of a fic and more of a random story with idols as the characters. whoops. im sorry. this is why i dont write long stories


	6. Hyunjin, Get Off The Table

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> felix and his crew get up to some weird stuff at 2 am

"Hey, get up," Felix was rudely shaken awake by Hyunjin.

"Why are you in here? What-Dude, it's 1 am." Through the darkness he can see his friend's grin.

"I know. Come on, we're going to Seungmin's."

"What do you mean we're going to Seungmin's? It's 1 am!"

"Yeah, and he's outside in the cold waiting for us, so hurry it up! I don't want to seem like a shitty boyfriend for making him wait." Felix groaned as he sat up in his bed. He decided that is pajamas were rather appropriate and just threw on a hoodie he had on the floor beside him.

"He could have come up...." Felix mumbles, brain still half asleep.

"He insisted I be the one to piss you off at this ripe hour."

"Okay, fine. Go down and I'll be out in a second." Hyunjin took the opportunity to return to Seungmin and left the room quickly. Felix so badly wanted to lie down and fall asleep again, but hanging out with his friends at Seungmin's apartment is always fun, and who really needs a good night's sleep before work in the morning? He's just hoping Seungmin has food. He's hungry and doesn't want to risk raiding his own kitchen because his mother's wrath really isn't something he wants to deal with right now.

Felix feels only slightly awkward as he walks with the couple towards Seungmin's apartment. They're locked together, shoulder to shoulder and talking quietly. It's not too bad because he wants them to enjoy themselves together, and he'd feel just the same if he was with... Changbin. 

Changbin. It's been 2 days, and the moment they shared on the balcony of the royal's house still gives him butterflies. They'd almost gotten caught up, when a guard went out to the courtyard searching for the prince who'd went missing. They'd ducked away and had to leave each other, but it was a good memory. The pair haven't been able to see each other since, but the brief passings in the corridors were enough to tie them over until they could. But Felix is glad they're on good terms again. Amazing terms, perhaps.

"Hey, is Jeongin coming?" He asks when he noticed that the pair had paused in their conversation.

"He's already at my place," Seungmin answered, "He's been staying with me for a while, because... you know..." He was referring to Jeongin's current family situation. His mom left his father, him and his brothers and took a fair bit of their money, so they've been struggling to last in their current home. Seungmin has a stable living arrangement and as he said now, has offered to take him in so it's easier for Jeongin's dad to save money. It's hard financially in these parts of the city. 

"Okay. How's he doing?"

"Well, he's been kind of quiet, but I'm sure you guys will bring the fun out of him. Or make it worse, you two seem to get into all kinds of messes." Seungmin smirks at his own remark and Hyunjin gasps.

"What? Rude. We only do things extravagantly, and happen to get in trouble for it!" Hyunjin protests. The 3 laugh as Seungmin unlocks the door to his apartment building. He's on the top floor (reason for it's cheap rent. It's kinda garbage as well, but he made it look decent.) When they get to his flat, they see Jeongin waiting on the couch. His face lights up when his 3 friends walk in the door. 

"Hey, guys! Seungmin didn't say you were coming!"

"Where else would he go at 1 am?" Felix asks while falling down on the couch where Jeongin was lying. Seungmin ignored the groans of pain as he explains he was in the area buying a few groceries he forgot earlier, and thought to invite his friends over.

"What groceries could you be able to buy in the dead of night?" Hyunjin asks, legs dangling over the arms of the arm chair in the corner. On that cue, Seungmin pulls 2 cases of beer out of his bag.

"The good kind of groceries. I was in the mood to let loose, and I know a certain group who is always willing to do stupid shit with me." 

"Damn, who is this kid? It isn't our notorious good boy Seungmin!" Hyunjin laughs as he stands up to grab a can for himself. They distribute cans to their friends, and Jeongin almost doesn't get one as the older 3 protested that "We will not taint our 16 year old child". But the youngest of the bunch threatened to leave their little group and they all gave in. He's something holding them together. He's the one Seungmin can nag at when he needs to, Felix can rant to when he needs to, Hyunjin can release energy with when he needs to. He's crucial to their well-beings.

Felix looks at his can and wonders if he should go easy on himself tonight and monitor how much he drinks. It's already late and he has work in the morning, so only one drink will be a good idea. He doesn't want to resist drinking at all, but he won't go overboard. He has before, and once again, his mother's wrath isn't something he'd like to see anytime in the near future.

However, the well-being of his friends was questionable. Seungmin probably would restrain himself (he always does), but Hyunjin is known to take things to the next level and Jeongin tends to follow whoever is doing what looks like the most fun. And as expected, Hyunjin is already popping open a second can for himself.

"Don't go crazy, man, we have work tomorrow." He warns.

"Actually, I don't. I'm not getting called in till next week. Being unnecessary has never felt so good!" He shouts before taking a large sip then choking on it while laughing. To be fair, Jeongin was trying to catch a fly out of the air with his fingers (it wouldn't happen. There was no fly) and it looked pretty dumb. While those two were doing their own shenanigans, Felix turned to Seungmin who had just taken a seat on the couch beside him.

"Hey, how's it going? It's been a while." Seungmin sighs before answering.

"It's basically the same as always. Working at the market is fine, the house hasn't fallen apart yet, and now that Hyunjin is in the picture more..." His lips twitch into a smile when he mentions his boyfriend, "Things have been going well." As he says that, Hyunjin is heard belting out the lyrics to some song while dancing on the table. They aren't even drunk yet, why is he acting so... idiotically? Seungmin sighs again. "Hyunjin, get off the table. How about you, Felix? Hyunjin says you two had quite the adventure but wouldn't tell me unless you didn't want it shared."

"Yeah, some stuff went down at work. Some pretty messy stuff, but it's all okay now."

"What about your Prince Boyfriend?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows. This comment grabs Jeongin and Hyunjin's attention away from the game of beer pong they had set up in seconds.

"Hold on, hold on," Jeongin runs towards them and stops, finger pointed at Felix, "Prince Boyfriend? Felix is dating the prince?" Hyunjin smirks, happy that the truth is out.

"Hyunjin, you told him?" Felix asks. "I thought you kept that stuff a secret!" His friend shrugs.

"I can't hide that shit from him. It's too juicy!" 

"But you could hide it from me?" Jeongin asks, obviously offended.

"It was easier to. Sorry, bro." Hyunjin chucks the ball from the beer pong at the youngest of the gang as an act of apology. He accepts it.

"So, it's true?" Seungmin directs the conversation back to it's point, "You and Prince Changbin are together?" Felix nods, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment. He thinks he should be proud, but now he understands how Hyunjin felt when he first revealed his relationship with Seungmin.

"Holy shit! Does that mean Felix is going to become king?" Jeongin is staring at his friend in amazement, his questions curious and random.

"Jeongin, come on..." Felix replies, unsure of how to respond to that. But Hyunjin says something that wasn't what he wanted to reply nor hear.

"He can't, the prince is getting married." Felix freezes and turns to Hyunjin, who's sitting on the table that was being used for beer pong.

"What?" Felix can barely get those words out of his mouth. He knows Hyunjin is drunk, but he also wouldn't say something like this unless he knew it was true.

"Hyunjin, shut up-" Seungmin hisses. 

"No, what do you mean?" Felix asks, standing up from his seat and looking directly at his friend who isn't aware of the tension that just appeared.

"I mean, he's getting married. To some fancy pants's daughter. I heard them talking about it before I got my ass handed to me by the king. It's next month, or something." Hyunjin takes the last sip of his drink and goes to get another one, but Seungmin has stood up and stopped him. Felix can't move. He feels like his world is crashing down before him (dramatic, yes). He wants to sit down and think, but he can't. He wants to grab the rest of the shit alcohol they had and down it so he could try and forget for a while, but he can't. He can't move.

"Felix," Suddenly, Seungmin is standing in front of him. "Hey, listen to me. I'm sure Prince Changbin is very conflicted about this. Talk to him. If he wants to be with you, chances are the marriage thing isn't what he wants. If you get heartbroken, I'll personally commit treason and kill that son of a bitch. Okay?" Felix rests his hands on his friend's shoulders and he takes a deep breath.

"I want to go home. Are you okay with two drunk idiots for the night?" Felix asks, looking at the two who are trying to silently play beer pong while the other half of the gang has their moment.

"Of course. Don't worry about it. Go to sleep, and when you go to work, if you can, talk to him. Please." Felix nods and thanks his friend before waving goodbye to the others and leaving the apartment. His can of beer sits unopened on the table.

He almost get's lost 3 times on the way home. He wasn't used to going this way at night, and his thoughts were driving him insane. Even if they didn't get to spend a lot of time together, wouldn't Changbin have told him about this already? Why would he get in a relationship when he knew he was getting married?

She's better for him. She'll treat him better, she'd be a better leader.

Be a better leader. As if Felix was ever in the picture.

Finally, he found his apartment and just wanted to sleep and escape all the crazy thoughts. He was already tired from when Hyunjin woke him up earlier, so slumber would come easy. This plan would have worked out nicely if his mother wasn't waiting for him in the kitchen.

"I heard you leave around an hour ago. Where have you been?" She asks, holding herself up with her hands on the kitchen counter top.

"Seungmin's." He replies, failing to stifle a yawn.

"You smell like beer.

"That was the 3 rowdy ones. Trust me." Felix waits for her to say something else. 

"You shouldn't be out this late-"

"I know, Mom. I've got work. I didn't want to leave but my friends insisted. You know them. Besides, I didn't want Jeongin to be alone with the two lovebirds."

"Lovebirds?"

"Seungmin and Hyunjin. They started dating a little while ago." Another yawn. "Can I go to bed now?"

"One second. I want to talk to you while your sisters are asleep and won't hear anything they shouldn't." Felix sits down at the kitchen table, confused and even more tired now that he has to stay up for a while longer.

"It sounds like I'm about to assist you in a crime. Mom, what's up?"

"I wanted to ask you about the prince. How do you know him so well?" Felix stops breathing for a second. Out of all the people he thought he'd have to explain himself to, he never thought of his mom as a possibility. 

"Oh... He noticed how young I was and wanted to be friends." He's nervous to admit it. His mother is a lovely woman, but if she needs to lay down rules she will. He doesn't want to be separated from the prince again.

"Are you the one that got the prince in trouble? And eventually got Hyunjin in hot water too?"

"Yeah... I didn't mean for it to happen." His mother sighs.

"I know you didn't. I just want you to be careful. People like us, we aren't supposed to be friends with people like them. You're in danger, just by being friends with him. So, please watch your back. I don't like having you in that house."

"You got me the job!"

"I know, and I didn't realize how much it would scare me. You're alone, poor and unprotected. You saw how they treated Hyunjin. If they know the Prince still has a friend, you might be in bigger trouble." Hearing his mother's genuine worries only increases his anxiety over their relationship. If they were to find out that the pair were a couple...

Felix could be killed.

"Don't worry too much, Mom. I've got Changbin on my side. He'll protect me. I know it." Despite the constant thoughts about the prince's wedding, Felix still trusted him. How could he not? He's never felt something so strong for another person before.

"I hope he does." She stands up straight and is about to leave, but now Felix is fully alert and stops her for a question of his own.

"Wait- How do you know him? He was talking to you before, like you were old friends." She smiles.

"We are old friends. I'm one of the many staff that helped raise him. They King and Queen aren't real parents, they don't know the first thing about their son. Me, his designer, his nannies, his servants, we know him best. He's come to me with almost all of his worries and problems. I know every detail about that kid."

"How did he not know that I was your son? You never told him about your family?" He isn't sure if he should feel hurt or not. 

"Never. He knows I have one, but whenever he asked I wouldn't answer. I don't want my family caught up with his. It was very difficult for me to let you go and work for them, but with your sister unemployed, we needed money. Once she gets a job, I want you out of that house." Her words are sincere, and that makes Felix's heart drop. If he has to leave, he'll never see Changbin. What they had would never matter.

"O-Okay." He manages to say. Trying not to seem too broken up about his mother's demands, he says goodnight and leaves to his room. Trying to fall back asleep was difficult now. He wasn't sure when he would see the prince again, but when he did, he didn't know how he would bring up the prince's marriage, and his nerves about being in such a dangerous situation while being the crown prince's secret boyfriend.


	7. Are Those Your Friends? I Didn't Think You Had Any.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> changbin has a gang of his own

At least Felix had things to do while they were apart. He had something to keep his mind busy.

All Changbin got to do was sit around and feel sad because he couldn't see him. The times they would pass in the corridors wasn't enough. He wanted to be with him, to hear his voice, to look into his eyes. That was something Changbin treasured. Felix being comfortable enough to look directly at him, and Changbin getting embarrassed when he couldn't handle the cuteness of Felix's resting pout. He wanted to see him up close, and not brush hands when they briefly pass. It was killing him slowly.

He did have the few things he was called to do. Like fittings for clothes he didn't need, lessons for things he didn't need to know. He was walking back to his chambers from a particularly useless lesson on manners he had memorized when he was 7 when a servant stopped him with what seemed to be a message.

He wasn't usually rude but it had so far been a pretty sour day. "What is it?" He asked bluntly to the servant, wanting to get on with his day of secretly looking through files he shouldn't be.

"My prince, you have visitors. Please follow me." Changbin wanted to groan in frustration. How could his parents schedule a meeting with someone without informing him beforehand? He didn't look anywhere as neat as he could, and wasn't mentally prepared to see anyone. Who would it be, anyway? Perhaps the man from the party who's daughter he would be marrying in 2 weeks. But why would he show up here? Was he meeting the girl now? Surely he wouldn't be...

But when he entered one of the lounge rooms, there sat his two friends with stupid grins on their faces.

"Hey!" Jisung exclaims, "Happy to see us?"

"What are you guys doing here?" He asks, greeting his friends with a hug. 

"Haven't seen you for a while, and to be honest, Jisung thought you'd died." Chan admits. That results in Jisung slapping his shoulder in retaliation.

"Not true! You brought it up!" The youngest of the three protests. Chan shakes his head in disagreement, and the 3 laugh. Changbin ushers for his friends to sit back down. How they got here without him knowing, he doesn't know. Maybe they directly contacted a servant or something, because normally he's the one inviting them to the house. People can't just waltz in (well, duh) and he can't leave the house unless he's on serious official business, which never happens.

"Jisung was just telling me about his daily adventures... which are, as always, not believable." Chan says, ignoring Jisung's death stare.

"What do you mean? What about my stories make them so unbelievable?"

"The fact that they aren't true! I doubt you could have started an underground bubblegum distributing service while leaving classes has basically become impossible, and might I add that you have an impeccable attendance record." Jisung sits dumbfounded after Chan's elaborate explanation.

"Damn, someone just got exposed." Changbin smirks, high-fiving his elder friend. "Why are classes so hard to leave? What if you have to use the restroom?" He's always asking them about normal school life. One day he'll visit one and see the locations his friends speak of, but until then he can only hear and wonder.

"Well, it all started when one kid started finding ways to skip classes. I knew him briefly and once asked him why he did it. His answer was simple."

"And what was it? Don't stop your sentences like that," Changbin complains about Chan's habit of being way too dramatic. 

"He said he didn't like being forced to pay attention and do something stupid. He had no reason to be there."

"Does he still skip? Now that it's really hard to?"

"No, he has a reason to stay in class now." Chan smirks and Changbin is confused. He was about to ask what the reason was when he realized that Jisung had gotten strangely silent. The youngest of them was dark red in the cheeks and glaring at Chan.

"Okay, I am so lost. What does Jisung have to do with him?" The prince asks, Chan chuckling as Jisung looks like he's about to burst. 

"Jisung~" Chan teases, "Would you like me to tell him? Or do you want to talk about your-"

"HE'S MY BOYFRIEND! Chan, why won't you ever shut the fuck up? I wasn't planning on telling Changbin today!" He hits Chan on the chest, and Changbin can't tell if it's playful or meant to hurt the older.

"I'm sorry! I was just excited for you! Why were you so nervous to tell him, anyway?" Jisung slumps back on the chair and pouts, which Changbin finds adorable.

"So... Little Jisung has a boyfriend now? And he sounds like a troublemaker! What's his name?" Changbin is smiling uncontrollably and can't wait to pester him with questions.

"Ugh, this is annoying. I get how you felt, Chan, when you told us about Woojin." Changbin recalls when Chan first told them about his own boyfriend. Now that was an exciting and memorable conversation.

"Don't make this about me!" Chan says, trying to direct the conversation back. "Tell the poor guy about him!"

"Fine. His name is Minho. He's a few years older, but he's in my classes because behavioural issues caused him to fall back." Jisung's voice changes when he starts talking about him, and Changbin can almost FEEL how whipped he is for him. His words come out softer than they did when he was shouting at Chan, or even when he first greeted the prince when he walked in.

"How did you meet him?" Changbin asks, wondering if after Jisung is finished he should tell tell them about Felix. He's sure they'd be curious. and him having a boyfriend is a little bit different because... well... his situation is a little more complicated.

"This is one of the stories Chan refuses to believe! He doesn't think I had the balls to go up and talk to him!"

"Did you?" Chan shakes his head in disagreement while Changbin continues to ask questions.

"YES! I wanted to know how he cut class so easily, so I asked him."

"Did you intend to actually skip class or did you just want to talk to him?" Changbin teased. Jisung stayed quiet at the last question, causing the two older friends to laugh. Changbin missed the stupid things the 3 would talk about. He missed his friends.

"We don't have to worry about our Jisung," Chan says with a smile, "Minho is a good guy."

"That's good," Changbin decides to turn the conversation away from poking fun at Jisung for a bit, "How about you, Chan? How's everything?"

"It's going, to say the least. The first year of university went fine, and I've been looking for part-time jobs to take for extra cash."

"Extra cash? Why do you need extra cash?" Jisung asks. As well as Jisung, Chan comes from a very wealthy family. That's how the trio met. At a party hosted by the king and queen for only the richest families, the only 3 kids found each other and bonded over how much they despised their parents. And because they never got into any trouble, Changbin has been able to keep in contact with them over the years. They are the only people he knows that don't live or work in the Royal Home.

"I'm trying to start living off my own earnings instead of my family's. I'm trying to branch away from them slowly, so I can eventually just leave with Woojin and never return." Chan was a few years older than the rest of the trio, and was always more mature. Years ago they used to talk about how they would run away and escape the country and their families, but Chan was always the most determined. Jisung had a complicated relationship with his family, but Chan and Changbin both knew how much they wanted to stray. Changbin's situation was, again, a little more complicated.

"When will I ever be able to meet Woojin?" Changbin asks, "And now Minho too! I want to know them. Next time I invite you two, please ask if they will come." The two say they will, and that pleases the prince. Ever since Chan got together with Woojin two years ago, he's wanted to meet the person who brought back Chan's happiness after so much of his life had stolen it. Minho seemed to change the way Jisung acted as well. Does Felix do that to Changbin? Does he change the way Changbin talks, or smiles?

"How's life here, Changbin? Does anything ever change?" Jisung asks the same question every time the 3 meet. At first, the prince didn't know how to answer. He then started saying the same thing in return, about nothing changes except the food (it gets better). Should he tell them about Felix?

"I saw two kids working when we came in. Since when have your parents been hiring young guys? I'd like a job..." Chan says, only half-joking. Somehow Changbin's friend had managed to bring up Felix without making the prince do it himself.

"Oh, well, they had connections with current staff and they were needed. You saw them? Their names are Hyunjin and Felix. I know Hyunjin briefly but..." He doesn't know how to say it. Damn it, why couldn't he have someone like Chan pester it out of him like he did Jisung?

"But? Are you replacing us with the other one?" Jisung asks while acting offended. 

"How dare you, Changbin!" Chan jumps in.

"Oh, shut up. It's not like that and you know it." And just then, like a gift sent from the heavens, someone knocked on the door to the lounge. Changbin called for them to come in, and felt nervous but also relieved when Felix entered.

"Hey!" Chan pointed at the young servant, "We were just talking about you!" Felix looks confused as he approaches the trio. He stands behind the sofa where Changbin is sitting, forcing the prince to turn around so he can look directly at him.

"Felix," It's the first time they've been able to speak with each other since a couple of days ago, and it's unfortunate that they aren't alone. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I heard someone say you were in this room but I wasn't aware you had guests. I'll be leaving now-"

"No!" Changbin stands up before the younger leaves too quickly. Turning to his friends, he tries to not act strange when he excuses himself for a minute. He walks with Felix back to the door. The lounge is laid out where the sofas are in one space and there's a hall connecting the area and the door. The pair stand close together in the hall where Changbin's friends cannot see them. 

"Are those your friends? I didn't think you had any. That was rude, I'm sorry." Felix jokes. Changbin hits him playfully, then smooths the wrinkles he's made in the shirt.

"Yes, they are. Chan and Jisung. They're quite.... interesting."

"It seems so. You were...." He smirks before finishing his sentence, "Talking about me?" Changbin scoffs and wants to hit Felix again.

"I swear, you're as bad as them. Apparently they saw you when they were coming in and wondered how someone as young as you got a job here." Felix nods, and Changbin can't read his look to guess what he's thinking. "Did you need something? You went out of your way to come here."

"Oh- I just wanted to see you." He says it so casually that Changbin doesn't lose his breath right away. But it kicks in a few seconds later, and Changbin pulls the taller boy into a hug. He's longed for his touch. He's waited impatiently. He's here now.

"Meet with me." The prince says, "Come to my room tonight. We can hang out. I've missed you too much, and now that I'm with you I can't go any longer without being beside you." Sappy? Yes. Cringey? Yes. Does he mean every word?

Yes.

"Okay. I'll be there. Enjoy your time with your friends." Felix says before pulling himself away in an attempt to leave.

"Wait- Why don't you stay with us? You can get to know them."

"It's okay. I have responsibilities, like my job. I'll see you tonight." The pair separate themselves from each other until their holding hands and Felix is slowly stepping towards the door. Before he opens it, Changbin steps forward and kisses him lightly on the cheek. Felix's cheeks turn red as he leaves the room. Changbin smirked when he turned back around to return to his friends.

As if his whole life was a stupid movie, there they were peeking around the corner into the small hallway. They don't even try to hide when they see that Changbin has spotted them. They smile and wait until their friend has returned to his seat before they say anything. Unsurprisingly, Jisung is the first to speak. Or rather, shout.

"Holy shit!" He exclaims, "So, that's what you meant! "It's not like that". Yeah, because he's your boyfriend!" Changbin turns darker than Felix did a few seconds ago when his friends stare at him in awe.

"I never thought you'd be one to have a secret relationship like that. And with someone like him?" Chan says in bewilderment, "You two fit well together, yet are also polar opposites at the same time." 

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Changbin asks out of embarrassment. But his friends deny his request.

"Nope." Jisung says bluntly. "You made me tell you about Minho, now you have to tell us about Felix." And so Changbin does. He explains the whole story of their relationship thus far that has more detail than it should, since it's been very, very short. For some reason, his friends are... proud? Excited? It's weird, to say the least. When they leave, he can't help but feel happy that at least someone knows about his relationship. When he becomes king, he's changing laws. He wants his friends to be able to marry the people they love.

He wants to be able to marry the person he loves.

~

That night, the pair sat at the bay window in the prince's room. They talked about what the other had missed out during the days they had been apart. Changbin learned that Felix's friends sounded almost as crazy as his own.

"They really cannot handle alcohol well. Hyunjin was dancing on the table in less than 10 minutes. Oh- Don't mention that to him, though. He'll be embarrassed that I told you." Changbin laughs at how excited Felix is to talk about his friends, and to hang out comfortably like this where no one could barge in and catch them.

"What happened after?" The prince asks between heavy breaths after laughing. Felix takes a minute to recall, but stays silent, his expression different than it was before. He was suddenly caught in what seemed to be a stream of thoughts that wouldn't leave him alone. "Felix?" Changbin asks softly, leaning closer to the younger, "Are you okay?"

Felix jumps out of his trance and smiles awkwardly. "Oh, um, yeah. I was just wondering something, but didn't want to ruin the mood."

"What is it?"

"I don't want to cause another fight-"

"Felix." Changbin interrupts. "Just tell me. I promise I won't get mad, if you don't get mad. We'll talk it out, whatever it is, okay?" Felix nods.

"Why didn't you tell me you're getting married?"

Changbin's heart almost stops when the question is asked. How did Felix find out? Who told him? Damn it, Changbin should have told him this himself, not have him learn it from the grapevine. "Felix, I'm sorry. I should have told you." What else can he say? The younger nods before continuing to question the prince.

"When is it?"

"In two weeks."

"That's before your coronation. Shouldn't you at least become king first?" 

"I agree. My parents want it to happen before I'm crowned. If I'm unwed while king, I could deny all marriage request and live alone, which was what I had hoped to do. My parents knew that I would do that, so their forcing me into a marriage while they can still order me to do so."

"You don't want to marry her?" Changbin shakes his head.

"I've been rejecting marriage requests my whole life. I wanted to meet the love of my life on my own, or not at all. Having people set it up for me... it doesn't feel real." Felix watches him as the prince looks out the window and at the glowing city in the distance. He's sad, and obviously conflicted about what to do. 

"Does... Do I feel real to you?" Felix asks, his eyes glued to the beauty that is the prince. Changbin turns and smiles at Felix.

"You are the only thing that has ever felt real to me before." Felix watches as a tears drops from the prince's eye. But it isn't sad. Felix leans himself into the prince, laying his head on his chest.

They lie in silence, looking out the window at the rain that had suddenly started to fall.

"I'm going to figure this out," Changbin whispers after a few moments, "But I promise... I'm not getting married to that girl. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you by my side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know idk how this is a sk fic and my bias isn't even in it. minho is only mentioned. how does this happen. I DIDNT KNOW WHERE TO PUT HIM AND NOW I FEEL GUILTy


	8. Run Away With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> changbin wants to run away  
> felix cannot afford to do that

Ever since that night where they finally learned how to understand each other better, Felix began to visit Changbin regularly. He would clock out of his shift and sneak up to the prince's chamber where they would sit and talk (or kiss. Whatever happened, happened). They'd fallen into a nice period of only good things happening to them. But there was still the looming date of the wedding which was approaching far too quickly. There was now only one week until Changbin would be forced to marry some random girl. No matter how many times Felix asked if he had figured something out, the prince would only respond with a simple statement of "Don't worry, I'm working on it."

It was hard to believe. But at this point Felix trusted the prince with his life. The bond that had been formed between them, the secrets kept and the understanding they had for each other allowed them to know that this person beside them would never betray or purposely hurt the other.

So, if Changbin says he's working on it, he's working on it.

When Felix's mother made him realize the real risks of his relationship, he only wanted to be with the prince more. He'd rather be happy and end up murdered than die unhappy an unsatisfied with his life. Meeting Changbin and learning to love Changbin has been one of the greatest times in his life. Hyunjin would disagree, but he doesn't know what it's like to suddenly love someone. His and Seungmin's relationship has been one long slow burn.

"Felix, please listen." Hyunjin snapped a finger in front of his friend's eyes to break him out of his daze. The two were walking in the corridors to their next errand and Hyunjin was talking nonsense about something (which Felix had obviously not been listening to). 

"What? Sorry," Hyunjin started his story over but Felix still didn't care to listen. As much as he cared and adored Changbin, the wedding and the constant scare of discovery was always hanging around in the back of his head, waiting to bug him at any given moment.

"Felix." Hyunjin poked his friend in the shoulder but he didn't react. "Felix. Felix, oh my god you are so useless today." Felix heard that part and went to hit Hyunjin's arm when he saw why the taller of the two was poking him. The prince stood before them, grinning stupidly at the oblivious young servant.

"Oh. Sorry," He smiled at his boyfriend in return before taking another step towards him. Hyunjin sensed that he might be out of place, so he excused himself and left the two in the empty corridor. "What's up?"

"Are you planning on visiting tonight?" Changbin asks.

"I always do." Felix replies. The younger of the pair struggles to not reach out and hold the prince's hands. It would be stupid to ever show affection for each other anywhere aside from Changbin's room. 

"Good. I have something I need to go over with you. I'll be seeing you." The prince begins to walk past Felix but stops when their shoulders are side by side, allowing the pair to have a small moment before he continues on. What could Changbin mean by that? Has he figured out what to do about the marriage? Maybe he has. Perhaps his coronation is being moved up? Will he have to wed? Is there a way they can be together? Felix wants to hit himself for thinking about that. Ever since they began their relationship, he has been trying to never think about the future. It's too scary to think about right now.

For the rest of his shift, he worried about what the prince could have meant. And when he was standing right in front of Changbin's door, he couldn't even let himself in. He knocked instead, so if Changbin wanted him to come in he would invite him. Something didn't feel right, but Felix couldn't put his finger on it.

"Why did you knock? You know you can always come right in," Changbin says when he opens the door.

"Yes, I know." He follows the prince inside and awkwardly stands by when Changbin sits down on the bay window seat (their designated spot).

"What's up with you tonight? Come sit,"

"What did you want to tell me?' Felix asks anxiously. 

Changbin only sighs. "Come sit down, and I'll tell you. But this needs to happen fast or else we'll run out of time." Felix was only more confused at that comment, but sat down silently while waiting for Changbin to elaborate.

"Is it about the wedding? Have you found a solution?"

"Kind of...?" Changbin hooks the end of his sentence like a question. "I have a plan, but you have to hear me out." Felix squints and wants to protest, but motions for the prince to continue anyway. "Okay. I've been thinking about this for awhile. I want us to run away."

"You want what?"

"I said you have to hear me out!"

"I won't if you start like that! Run away? Are you insane? Where are we supposed to go?" He shouldn't be getting this angry. He doesn't want them to fight again, but this is crazy.

"I've got this planned out. I know someone who could fly us out of the country without having to pass any borders. We can leave to your apartment, grab your things and be in another country in just hours."

"What? Changbin, that's way too risky! Think about what you're trying to do! If we're caught trying to illegally leave the country, I would be arrested and you would be in deep trouble. And after they catch me and find out we were still associated with each other, I could be killed. There's too many flaws! And I can't run away! I have too much here."

"What do you have, Felix? What here is so important to you that it would be so hard to leave behind? This country? It's a mess. It isn't fixable. Your friends? They can come and find you later, and so can your family!" Felix stands up and takes a few steps before turning back to the prince.

"Changbin, are you kidding me? Once they find out we're missing, they'll investigate all the people I was ever associated with. They could never be allowed to leave the country, and if they did, they could be followed until they found us. This plan is too dangerous! And yes, my family happens to be something I wouldn't like to leave behind. They are extremely important to me. I can't put them in danger. I won't. Is there really nothing for you here? Nothing you'd hate to leave?"

"All I have here is a terrible family, disgraceful background and an arranged marriage. Please, Felix, just run away with me."

"But what about your friends? Chan and Jisung? You'd want to leave them behind? What about all the people you would have become king to? You're betraying all these people, and leaving them in the hands the current king and queen. You could do so much better, Changbin. Ever since I met you, I knew that you would finally be the king that changed something about this godforsaken place. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are just that stuck up prince I thought you were from the beginning." His words cut like a knife, and Felix could almost feel Changbin's heart shatter.

"Felix... you don't mean that."

"I don't know, Changbin. I don't know if I mean it or not. I used to think you were, but now I've never been more unsure." Felix is almost out of the room when Changbin calls for him.

"Please, don't go." The prince chokes back a sob, emotions that have built up from Felix's burst. "I can't do it. I can't do it alone."

"Goodbye, Changbin."

"Felix, I love you, don't leave me."

Felix paused. "If you loved me," He said under his breath, "Then you wouldn't abandon me like this."

The young servant closed the door behind him and fell to his knees, tears rolling down his cheeks and his chest going sore from keeping in his cries. He hates the way their fights make him feel. But why was Changbin being so selfish? Does he understand how inconsiderate he was being?

Does he get it at all?

"Run away with me."

He can't. He just can't.

~

Why? Why would he get so angry?

Felix couldn't get over how much he'd blown up at Changbin. Sure, the prince had made some bad points and needed to be taught, but he shouldn't have taken such an approach. He hates handling situations that way, but when he gets angry he can't help but say whatever is on his mind. The words fly out before he can think about it properly. 

Stupid. He's so, so damn stupid. He had wanted to go home and talk to Hyunjin or Seungmin. One of the two could probably help him when he needed to eventually apologize to the prince, but both were busy with each other. Instead he was sitting alone in his bedroom, his mother and sisters in the room over. He wishes he could talk to his mom or older sister, but he can't expose his relationship. His sister would tell his mother, and his mother would forbid it.

But would he even be able to apologize? Changbin said he was leaving, but he didn't say if he would go without Felix. Perhaps it was a take it or leave it deal, and the prince was gone by now. The thought made Felix's heart drop, and he suddenly got very worried. What if he is gone? Felix would never get to apologize.

He might have lost the prince without even realizing it.

The thought made him sick to his stomach. If he get's caught, he might not even become king. He'll have no freedom. Running away for freedom, and ending up with nothing.

A sudden tap on the window in his bedroom broke him out of his thoughts. Standing on the fire escape was the dumbass prince himself, waving awkwardly.

"What-Changbin!" He rushed to open the window. It had started raining outside, and Changbin (who had only been wearing a dark hoodie) was getting soaked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you once more." He said while climbing into the room. 

"Why?"

"I'm giving you another chance. Come with me." Felix scoffed and turned away.

"Are you serious? I told you my answer. No." The look of disappointment was saddening, but he had to make his point. Damn it, he should apologize now. "Changbin, listen-"

"Why should I sit and listen to you when you made no effort earlier to understand me?" The prince was getting angry himself now.

"Okay- I get it. I messed up back there, okay? I don't listen well, I never have. I'm trying to change that. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. I'm sorry. I truly am. But you should really think about what you're trying to do here." He pauses and takes the prince's hand (for dramatic effect of course), "If you leave and get caught, you'll never have the freedom you wish for. If you successfully run away, your picture will be everywhere and you would never be able to go anywhere, even if you're in another country. Believe me, Changbin. This won't free you."

Changbin has opened his mouth to respond, but he pauses when there's a sudden boom. It's loud. Almost too loud.

"What was that?" Felix asks. He looks outside to see people leaving their apartments to investigate. That's when the siren blares. The siren that sounds when there's extreme danger. "Mom? Mom!" Felix runs out of his room, Changbin on his tail. His mother and sisters were standing in the kitchen listening to the radio.

"Bombs have been dropped on the Royal Home. A neighbouring enemy country has attacked! Residents of the outer apartment ring need to retreat further into the city or risk being killed." The reporter says urgently. Felix makes eye contact with his mother and they immediately start grabbing things.

"We can go to Seungmin's. He lives a few streets away, closer to the inner ring. We'll have a better chance there. Go!" He orders them. They frantically start to grab their things, like extra clothes and mementos.

"Once we get there, you're explaining why the hell the prince is here!" His mother shouts from her's and the girls' room. 

"I apologize, Miss Lee!" Changbin calls back. He's standing there, unsure of what to do.

"Changbin," Felix returns to the room, "You are not leaving now. It's too dangerous. Go downstairs and get Hyunjin and his family. You're coming with us." Changbin does as he's told, and Felix ushers his family out of the house quickly. They meet with Hyunjin and his parents outside, before beginning to run towards Seungmin's home. The booming has yet to cease, and the sound is only getting closer and louder. Felix lifted his younger sister onto his back, because she was struggling to keep up and the loud sounds were scaring her. 

After what seemed like forever, they spotted Seungmin and Jeongin who were standing outside of the apartment building, watching the chaos that was ensuing outside. People who lived in the outer ring were running to their friends who lived in safer areas, like Felix and his family.

"Good thing you came here." Seungmin says, while hugging Hyunjin tightly, "I was about to run out to you guys myself and get you over here. Come in, I'm sure it'll be safe." The 8 that had fled their homes followed the two inside. Everyone dropped their belongings on the ground. It was silent for awhile, nobody knowing what to say. Everyone except for Hyunjin and Felix was staring at Changbin. Of course, if you saw the prince for the first time in real life and he was standing in a random apartment with poor people, wouldn't you be surprised as well?

"Okay," Miss Lee cut the tension and pointed at the prince. "Felix, why the hell is he here?" 

"I'm sorry for intruding," Changbin apologizes. 

"No, don't worry, Changbin. We should be thankful he's here. If he didn't run off to our apartment," Felix turned the prince with sad eyes, "He could have died. They bombed the house." Changbin's heart sinks when he realizes how bad the situation truly is. His house could be completely destroyed.

His whole life and family could be dead as they speak.

It was silent again. Felix's younger sister has calmed down and is playing around with Jeongin. They've always had a cute bond with each other. Hyunjin and Seungmin were talking quietly together in a corner. His mother and older sister were holding each other while they listened to the bombs continue to go off. Hyunjin's parents had gone back down to the street so they could be the first to hear when the bombs stopped, and to help people if they needed it.

The fact that it was calm was terrifying.

"What if I hadn't left?" Changbin says under his breath. "I could be dead." Felix pulls the older forward, holding him close.

"Don't worry. Your instincts told you to leave, and you did. I'm so thankful you're here with me." Changbin takes deep breaths while leaning his head on the younger's shoulder.

"My parents..."

"Changbin, don't think about it right now." So they stand in a comfortable silence, holding each other and hearing the bombs go off in the background. But Felix started to worry too. What happened to the king and queen? Their house had been attacked.... does that mean they're dead?

Changbin found it hard to let go of the younger when Felix said he wanted to talk to his family. The prince stood alone and watched longingly as Felix hugged his mother and sisters, talking quietly and reassuring their safety. The way they took care of each other was foreign to Changbin. He wondered how different his life would be if his parents had cared for him.

His parents. He can't seem to get them off of his mind. For many years he's cursed them and awaited their death, but now that it could be a possibility, he's worried. Maybe it's the blood-relation, or the fact that they are the only people he's ever had. That is.... until Felix. Felix is more important to him than anything. He'd do anything to keep him safe. 

"Hey," Someone taps him on the shoulder, breaking him out of his daze. It's Hyunjin. "Staring doesn't seem to be appropriate right now. What's on your mind?"

"The way you all care for each other," The prince gives a heartbroken smile, "I've never seen anything like it before. Felix and his family, you and your parents, you and your friends. I've never experienced that kind of love before." Hyunjin nods.

"I'm sorry. But, you have Felix and us now. You're always welcome."

"Thank you. That's very reassuring." Hyunjin returns to Seungmin while Changbin returns to his thoughts. He understands while Felix wouldn't abandon these people. He can't leave. He can't leave his country in a crisis like now. They need him and he needs to be there for them.

"The bombs stopped!" Hyunjin's father exclaimed as he burst into the apartment. "The damage around the outer ring isn't much, our homes are safe. But the Royal's House..."

Changbin took off out of the apartment and began to run. He could hear someone following, but didn't stop until he reached the debris and holes in the street. He looked up to his home, and saw that it was burning and broken down to the ground. Some servants where standing around the gates.

"Prince Changbin!" One of them called. "How did you escape? Almost everyone who was in the house is dead. Including...." He paused and stared with apologetic eyes.

"The king and queen. They're dead." He said bluntly. "I know." The person who was chasing the prince stopped behind him. It was Felix, now heaving for breath, staring in awe at the destroyed house.

"Changbin..." Felix says out of breath. "What the hell happens now? Your house is gone... your family..."

The prince knows. He knows exactly what happens know.

"I'm the king. In a situation where the to-be crowned king is established and something happens to the current rulers, he is to take place. That's how it works here. So, I'm the king." All of the servants bow on their knees when they hear him say so. It makes him uncomfortable, but this is his life now.

"Oh my god, my boyfriend is the king." Felix says, running a hand through his hair in amazement. "Who would have thought?" Changbin chuckles at the younger's dumb humour. He pulls the servant towards him and presses their lips together, forgetting the pain and mess from earlier. The servants must have been in shock, but he doesn't care. The king has who he loves, and he's not going to rule this country alone anymore.

He knows who will stand beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof. we're almost done. i'm sorry it took me so long to update this but i've been going through some stuff and haven't had time. im trying hard tho! let's enjoy this till the end together


	9. Let's Make History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the road towards a better country begins.  
> changbin has a lot to do.  
> and wants felix by his side.

"So, what are you going to do?" One of his Changbin's newly appointed attendants ask, "Your coronation was rescheduled for tomorrow! We aren't ready for this! There isn't a place to hold the ceremony, your house is gone!"

Changbin sits at the end of the table in the conference room, fingers pressed against his temples while the attendants go on and on. It had been a week since the bombing and destruction of all that Changbin knew his life to be. It's been a hectic week, and this person rambling isn't helping. "Please, calm down." He says with a heavy sigh, "I know it's tradition and all, but we don't need a big ceremony. What we need is for me to officially become the king as soon as possible so I can start working out what to do with our enemy's outside of the country. We cannot risk being attacked like this again. So, get me my damn crown and whatever I need to sign so this can happen. It's going to take a while, but I'm changing how things work around here and it's going to start with the safety of my people. Got it?" The attendant nods. The rest of the people in the room follow suit, and Changbin excuses himself from the conference room.

The workers in the city hall would stare at him as he walked through. He only had two security guards following him, which seemed odd. His parents would have A) never stepped foot off the Royal House grounds and B) if they had to, would have had the whole police force surrounding them. He wants his citizens to know him. He wants this country to turn it's face.

The car he's in was supposed to take him back to where he was staying for the time being, but he directed it to the rubble of his former home. There were currently workers searching through the debris, and he wanted to try and find some of his old things that might have survived. 

He had gotten used to the sight of it all. The charred wood and stone. The stench of fire that wouldn't seem to disappear.

Nobody told him to get out of there when he walked into the rubble. He thought someone would stop him, but no one has. He walks the corridors he sneaked around in with Felix, and looks into the lounges where he, Chan and Jisung would hang out. He wants to visit the kitchens, but it's completely destroyed. It makes his heart hurt, but he continues. He finds the hall where the bedrooms were located. His parents' room was gone. Demolished. Only half of his chambers were standing (standing meaning that the roof was gone but some walls were still intact). There wasn't a lot of debris by his bed's headboard, so he checked there first. The files he had stored where still there, and aren't completely a mess. There's some dust and dirt but everything is still there.

He reminds himself to frame the picture of his sister. She deserves to be remembered.

"Did you find anything, your Majesty?" One of his security guards asks when he finds where Changbin had disappeared to.

"Yes. Get someone to schedule a press conference for tomorrow. Let's get this coronation thing settled tonight. I need to come clean to the country. They deserve to know." The security guard doesn't question it, and instead leaves quickly to make a call. Changbin looks up at the sky through the hole in the ceiling. It's cloudy. It's dark. It's eerie.

Pretty appropriate.

There's nothing else for Changbin to find, so he leaves, this time actually returning to his current living situation. It's an empty apartment in the inner circle of the city, also known as the rich neighbourhoods. It's not a bad place to be, surprisingly. Chan and Jisung live nearby, and they've come to visit occasionally. Once they actually brought Woojin and Minho, which was exciting. Woojin was definitely the one for Chan, he had decided. Their personalities were similar, and they seemed as close as Changbin had expected,

He thought Minho would be an edgy teen, based on what Changbin knew about his past, but Jisung's boyfriend was the sweetest person he's ever met. He could tell why Jisung would be interested in him, and they seemed like a great match.

Changbin couldn't help but wonder what they would think of him and Felix when they met properly.

Felix. He's been so busy he hasn't seen him since the night it all went down. Is his little sister okay? Did he explain it all to Miss Lee? Does she understand?

He's alone in the apartment.

He's alone. It's what he's wanted for so long, but now it doesn't feel good at all.

~

He wanted the whole ordeal to be private, but instead, Changbin was surprised by a huge last minute coronation ceremony at the main City Hall. He could hear the citizens in front of the building, waiting for him to step out and become their official king. He was ready. Or, he wanted to think he was. There's a huge pit in his stomach he can't shake away. There's thousands outside, and thousands watching the broadcast. Whatever he says he can never take back.

He's asked Felix to stand with him while he does it, but the younger hasn't shown up yet and it's worrying the future king immensely. He needs something to calm him down from all the nerves, and Felix is the only one who can do that.

"Your Majesty," An attendant interrupts his racing thoughts, "5 minutes." Changbin's heart skips a beat. He rises to his feet while taking a few breaths, hoping Felix shows up in the next 30 seconds or he might have a breakdown.

But thank whatever spirit heard his thoughts, because Felix burst in. 

"Felix!" Changbin exclaimed, extremely relieved, "What took you so long?" The ex-servant (Changbin had relieved him of his post) approached the prince, taking deep breaths as if he had run here. Did he?

"I'm so so sorry," He says in between heaves, "The guards wouldn't let me through to see you. They thought I was some sneaky street rat. I don't look like that, do I?"

"Of course not. How did you get in?" Again, as if on cue, Changbin's two friends walk in.

"They confirmed who I was to the guards."

"You should have seen how goofy the security guy got when I said he was the king's boyfriend!" Jisung laughs, "And did you see how red Felix's face was?" He directs the question to Chan, who's also having a little laughing fit.

"Thanks, you guys. Are you here to watch my shit-fest?" Changbin asks,

"Don't worry, man," Chan smiles warmly. "It will be fine. You've always been good at talking to people, and we're all here for you. We're rooting for yah! Good luck," The pair playfully hit him on the shoulder before they leave to join the crowd. Felix is the only person left with him.

"How are you?" The freckled boy asks, "It's been a long time." Changbin responds by going and hugging the younger.

"Everything is moving very fast." He mumbles.

"It'll be okay."

"I know, as long as you're with me." The two stand together until someone tells Changbin it's time. Felix stands behind the prince, and they walk out in front of the crowd,

Stepping towards the podium with the mic, Changbin takes a deep breath and looks at all the people before him. No one has cheered, or clapped. It's silent and awkward. He can't remember what he prepared to say.

His eyes land on his friends. Minho and Woojin are there as well. the 4 all raise a thumbs up for support. That calms the prince down a little, and he remember how his speech starts.

"This week has been hectic," Changbin stares at the crowd. "I was thrown into this position, and, if I'm being honest, I don't know if I'm ready to rule. But there is one thing I know. I'm ready to help change this country. We all know there are plenty of terrible things here. We live where the rich are rich and don't help the poor. We live where the poor are poor and steal from each other instead of help each other. We live where scorn is found everywhere. I don't want to live like that anymore. I may have grown up with privilege, but I have someone who has been helping me understand." He turns and looks at Felix, who didn't expect the attention. "That man is more important that many of you upper-class citizens realize. I need to come clean about the history of this throne. Originally, the family line was that of the Lee descendants. I have done my research and checked my facts, and can confirm that Lee Felix is indeed a proper blood relative to the first monarchs. My family took over slyly, leaving the Lees in the dust. But I'm here to restore the line properly, and get revenge on my ancestors who were nothing but spoiled rotten and evil to the core, evil enough to kill the princess because she had the same thoughts I did. And I know you're all asking this, so, no, I will not be handing my crown over to him. He will be wed into the family, and those of our descendants together will be of the Lee name."

Felix reaction is priceless, no doubt. Changbin didn't inform him of any of this.

"So follow us, my people." Changbin ushers Felix to stand beside him instead of behind, "Your future kings, and we will change it all for you. And for the better. It's already better." The prince takes Felix's hand and raises it to display their relationship before the crowd.

They go wild.

Changbin receives his crown. He's the king, officially.

When they leave the crowd behind, Felix hits the king aggressively.

"What was that about? You can't spring that on me! Basically proposing to me in front of the whole country? Are you serious?" Felix exclaims. Changbin only smiles. He asks any of the servants around to leave the room. Only then does the king grab his boyfriend's hands and swings them back and forth. 

"I'm sorry. But at the same time, I'm really not. This was the best way to introduce you to our people, and the best way to establish our relationship."

"But- What if it doesn't work out?" He asks.

"What do you mean?"

"How will the country react to their king being in a relationship with a man? How will the citizens react to having a 17 year old leader? How-" He takes a breath, "How will you restore the line if you get tired of me? If in the future... you don't love me?" Felix's voice breaks as the words come out of his mouth.

Changbin's heart drops. "I would never do that to you. I know that I will love you until the end of my life, and even after death. I'm going to change every law I can, so that I can marry you." A tear rolls down Felix's cheek as the younger smiles widely. "But... I can only do that if I know you love me the same." Felix leans his head down so that the pair's foreheads are touching, noses pressed together.

"You know. You know how much I love you, King Changbin." The new title gives Changbin chills. It feels wrong, but it's his duty.

"Then let's do it. Let's make history."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg it's over. although it's only 9 chapters, this happened over a course of 2 months and has felt very long. now that it's over, i need something else to write! tell me your ships, or maybe just a group you'd like to see me write about and i'll take it into consideration! thanks for the support. if you're into SVT, look out for my mingsol fic coming soon  
> my ig is @felixotech :) hit it up for stupid memes

**Author's Note:**

> hi! thanks for reading! if you have any questions or just want to hmu  
> twt: @rudeha_o  
> ig: @rudehao


End file.
